The Haunting Truth
by GhostMoonWolf
Summary: Mai has disappeared and sent word she wishes to quit working for SPR. And all of a sudden they get a mysterious case that may be connected to Mai and explain her disappearance but it comes with a heavy price . A test is issued with Mai as the prize. Exactly how loyal and trustworthy is SPR? Secrets will be uncovered and mysteries will arise. A Haunting Truth shall be found.
1. Chapter 1: The End Finale

**The End Finale**

"What do you mean she's gone?"Naru asks with one eyebrow raised in question as he sat at his desk; a book on different styles of warding in his hand. Monk who stood in front of the desk looked like he would much rather be anywhere else right at that moment. Naru looked the same as always short black hair with bangs that hung in his face dark indigo colored eyes that glared at Monk a scowl seemingly permanently etched on his face.

Monk scratched the back of his head giving Naru a helpless smile. "It's just as I said she's gone. I stopped by her house to see if she was sick or something and that's why she hasn't been in but no one answered the door and her landlord says she moved out two weeks ago, so I swung by her school and they said that she transferred three weeks ago but they couldn't tell me where she transferred to. None of her friends have heard from her either. She's disappeared, gone, vanished, left without a trace." He explains flinching when Naru snapped his book closed.

"She hasn't sent word that she wishes to quit so we can only assume that she has her reasons for not being in for the past month and for transferring schools and moving."Naru says with a impatient sigh. "Well yeah but what are they? I mean this isn't like her or anything."Ayako questions twisting a strand of hair around her fingers.

Before Naru could reply a loud knocking sounded at the door. Everyone looked from the door to Naru. Everyone was there despite there not being a case; Monk, Ayako, Masako, John, Yasuhara and Lin who sat in his usual place typing away at a computer. The office was supposed to be closed that day so Naru simply ignored the knocking figuring whoever it was would give up and go away.

The knocking stopped after a minute but started up again louder more insistent this time. Ayako seeing Naru was just going to ignore it gave a frustrated growl and threw up her hands, "Fine!I'll answer the stupid door!", She shouts marching over to the door and throwing it open snapping a short simply "What?!" as she did.

Everyone except Naru and Lin peered towards the door. Ayako blinked confused peering around outside "Huh that's strange theirs no one here."She murmurs. Monk catching sight of a sneaker that didn't belong to Ayako moved forward and took a look around the door itself giving a laugh at what he saw.

"No wonder there was no one here you hit the poor kid with the door when you threw it open like that, probably broke his nose while you were at it."Monk teased with a big grin on his face Ayako started to get mad but John stepped in"Perhaps someone should help him up and see what it is he wants?"He asks trying to get ahead of the argument sure to ensue.

Monk offered a hand to the kid who lay sprawled on his butt on the other side of the door rubbing his nose. The kid thanked him quietly and let himself be pulled to his feet. Everyone stared at the boy for a minute making him fidget nervously before laughter broke out.

"He looks almost like a mini Naru!" Yasuhara comments trying to quiet his laughter at the sight of the kid. Short black hair cut similarly to Naru's and dark eyes close to a dark gray in color the boy was dressed all in black much like Naru and was shifting impatiently from foot to foot looking confused, bewildered, nervous and of course impatient.

Naru sighed knowing at the rate this was going it would take a while before they got to what had brought the boy here in the first place. "So what is it?Why have you come here and by yourself?I highly doubt you have a case for us and even if you did we're not open today."Naru says getting right to the point rather impatiently.

Everyone had finally stopped laughing and was peering at the boy now."Um I have something for someone named Naru that I was told to bring here. Onee-chan said she didn't know your home address so she couldn't send it there and she didn't trust the mail to deliver it so she sent me instead." The boy says somewhat shyly pulling a envelope out of a small black satchel he wore and moving forward to hand it to Naru.

It was a simple white letter envelope with 'Naru' written in a swirly style script on the front and on the back a single blue wax snowflake sealed the envelope shut. "Um I was told to give you this message as well. _'I'm sorry and thank you for everything.'_ as well as these." The kid pulled out snowflakes; small metal snowflakes in various sizes and patterns, with a tiny loop at the top in which to thread a chain or string through, handing one to each person before bowing and dashing out of the office and out the door.

Everyone stared after the kid confused."What was that about?"Yasuhara wonders voicing just about everyone's thoughts. "So what's it say?"Monks asks turning to Naru who was opening the letter. Naru read the scant few words written on the page. He froze a frown on his face as he reread what it said using his psychometry to look into the letter further.

 _A flood of sorrow washed over him as he saw Mai sitting at a desk with a elegant style pen in her hand as she wrote out each word slowly tears in her eyes which for some reason where not their normal brown color but a bright ice blue. Finishing writing the letter and blowing softly on it so the ink would dry she placed it in the envelope and sealed it with actual wax and seal before turning it over to write his name on it a few tears dripping onto the envelope; she pressed her lips to the ink in a kiss. She turned as if she was looking right at him and gave a sad smile "I love you, Naru." She whispers._

"Naru blinked returning back to the office and everyone starring at him even Lin who had a look of concern on his face. Monk pulled the letter out of his hand and held it up so everyone could read it. Monk swore staring open mouthed at the three simple words written on it.

"Ayako gasped her eyes wide, Masako covered her mouth with the sleeve of her kimono looking down sadly. John shook his head in disbelief while Yasuhara frowned puzzling over what it said. The letter floated down onto Naru's desk showing the mostly blank page with the three short words written on it in the same script as on the envelope. _"I quit -Mai"_


	2. Chapter 2: A New Beginning

**A New Beginning**

"What on earth?"Monk said starring down at the letter on Naru's desk. Naru simply gave a sigh not showing any hint of what he was feeling inside. "I guess this is her answer and her wish."He says simply turning the metal snowflake he had been given over in his fingers tracing the faint etchings engraved into the metal as he pondered what exactly had happened.

Mai had given no notice or shown any signs she was unhappy working for him well nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to her at least; he highly doubted this was just another part of her usual range of emotions getting depressed and then swinging back into a good mood, not with the bone deep pain and sorrow he had felt coming off her when she wrote the letter and what she said to him was bothering him as well, not exactly what she said but how she said it really.

As if she would never see him again him or anyone from their strange little group and the unspoken word that had hung in the air from the letter and the vision of her. The unspoken word of _"Sayōnara."_ , that's what bother him the most and of course the fact that he was actually worrying over this that irritated him even more then her leaving the way she did. Gene would probably tease him over it if he was still alive.

"What do you mean this is her answer?!How do we even know that this letter came from her?!For all we know it could have come from anyone!"Ayako yells slamming her hand down on his desk anger rolling off her which she had apparently decided to direct at him for what reason he had no idea but he didn't bother giving her the satisfaction in reacting to her outburst.

"If she sent word that she wished to quit so that's the end of it. Nothing we can do about it it's her choice."Naru answers calmly still twisting the snowflake over and over not really looking at anything or anyone as he thought things over. John stepped forward to try and be the voice of reason.

"The letter had to be sent from her, the kid said that she didn't know a home address to send it to which is true. She also addressed it to Naru specifically if it had been from anyone else they would have sent it through the mail and addressed it to either Oliver Davis or Kazuya Shibuya not to the personal nickname of Naru."John points out calmly and rationally having apparently sorted through and made some sense of what was going on.

"You have a good point with that, John." Yasuhara says seemingly thinking everything over himself. A loud knocking sounded on the door once more causing everyone to once again glance at it." Apparently you're popular today." Yasuhara comments with a laugh.

This time it was Monk who marched to the door and threw it open apparently impatient himself. Once again the door flew open and smacked whoever stood on the other side. Monk grimaced as he peered around the door again. Ayako snickered. "And you were saying about me breaking someone's nose?" She comments snidely.

"Shut up, Ayako."Monk growls in return pulling the kid who had been sprawled on the ground to his feet and letting him in. "Weren't you just here?"John asks bewildered as the same kid from earlier appeared to have apparently come back. "No this one's a different person."Masako says softly looking the boy over slowly.

This one was dressed in shades of brown his hair the same black as the other one but cut more raggedly and his eyes were a dark brown instead of a dark gray other then that he looked like a perfect copy of the boy from earlier. "Hey Naru, you sure they aren't your siblings?"Monk jokes with a good natured grin.

The boy watched the group warily as he approached the desk. "Are you Oliver Davis?"The kid asks mainly focusing on Naru since he was the one sitting behind the desk. "Yes I am; I take it you have something for me?"Naru asks him calmly. The boy nodded taking off the brown backpack he wore as he rummaged through it pulling out several rocks of various kinds muttering to himself as he hunted through the contents of his bag in search of what he had been sent to deliver.

"You sure got a lot of stuff in that bag." Yasuhara comments peering over the kids shoulder into the bag itself. "It's in here somewhere I know it is, I stuffed it in there."The kid says with a frustrated growl. He picked up the bag with both hands and turned it upside down dumping the contents onto the desk. Rocks, papers, notebooks comic books, a hand held video game and various other stuff fell out to litter the desk in the mess that was the contents of one kid's bag.

Papers floated onto the floor as the kid shuffled through them shoving what he didn't want off to the side. Masako bent down picking up a manila folder that had fallen onto the floor. The words 'Report Card' was written on the front it was a crumpled mess from having been just stuffed in the back pack with out care.

"You dropped this."She says handing it back to the kid who went pale at the sight of it. Monk couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face."I take it you would rather not see it or rather whats in it?"Monk chuckles. Ayako smirked "I bet his grades are horrible just like Mai."She snickers before her face fell the last part sinking in.

"Onee-chan and Onii-san will kill me."He mutters stuffing it back in his bag. Lin reached over and drew a pristine cream colored envelope out of the mess and silently handed it over to Naru. The kid seeing that the letter had been right on top the whole time sighed and started to shove everything else back in his bag.

"I'm to bring word back as to if you accept or not and escort you there."The kid says zipping up his back pack once more and putting it back on. This statement got a raised brow from Naru as he examined the envelope like the one Mai sent the front had his name written on it in a different script and on the back it was sealed in red wax with a school crest as the actual seal.

Opening it he pulled out a couple of pages one that was the actual letter and the others appeared to be statements from various people and recordings of incidents at various locations. The letter itself was handwritten on a school letterhead it wasn't very long and had been signed by two people.

 _"Dear Oliver Davis or Kazuya Shibuya what ever you wish to call yourself it has come to our attention that you have acquaintance with one of our students. Under normal circumstances we would deal with our problem ourselves but things have progressed far more rapidly then we would care for and we fear for the safety of our students. We have heard about you and your business from the student mentioned above. We find we have need of your services, if you care to provide them. We feel that we may be able to trust you and you alone with this task. We also wish to test you and those who work for and with you to see if you can truly be trusted with the secret our student and our school holds. Depending on how things go we may allow continued acquaintance between you and our student. This is a rare thing for us as we prefer our students who transfer into our school to break off all ties that may jeopardize their safety and the safety of all our students. We look forward to hearing from you and meeting you._

 _Sincerly;  
Head Master Warin & Head Mistress Raylene"_


	3. Chapter 3: The Mysterious Case

**The Mysterious Case**

Naru reread the letter a slightly confused frown on his face as he tried to make sense of the letter other then the head master and head mistress of some school wished for him to take on a case since they felt they could trust him with what ever secrets their school held. But who was the student they talked about and what was this about continued acquaintance if things turned out well and preferring if contact was broken off? Did this have something to do with Mai's sudden disappearance? He suddenly felt sure that everything was connected which meant in all likely hood the student mentioned was Mai. He had a uneasy feeling about her disappearing and then this request for him to take on this mysterious case. He ignored everything going on in the background tuning out everything but the letter and the papers included. The incident reports intrigued him. They were grouped by time and location having apparently started approximately a little over a week ago the first incident having taken place in the schools library witnessed by a small group of students but progressed rapidly to where the same thing was happening more frequently and in other locations till were it was happening in several different locations relatively at the same time and picking up in intensity. The case itself was intriguing but he was more interested in the school itself.

"What can anyone tell me about this Taika High Academy?"Naru says interrupting an argument that had broken out while he was preoccupied with the letter. Yasuhara was the first to answer "Takia Academy itself, no matter what grade level or school boys or girls, is a highly prestigious school that is nearly impossible to get into. It's not just about grades or talent you can be the top of your class and get straight A's or be super talented at something but still not get in. I hear they are surprisingly generous towards those who can't pay the expensive school fees too. Outsiders aren't permitted on campus without strict permission given and you have to have a escort even with permission much is actually really known about the schools themselves."He says proving useful once again for information. Lin spoke up having done a quick search on the school online: "Most known matches what Yasuhara just said it's a highly prestigious school that's hard to get into even harder then other top ranked schools. The school campus includes all schools from grades pre-k up through grade school the girls schools take up only half of the total campus the other half is the boys schools; each half are divided by grade level with shared buildings in-between the campuses. Dorms are on campus most students seem to live in the dorms rather then off campus. Other then that not much."

"What's this all about, Naru?"Monk asks puzzling over the sudden change in conversation. "We have received a request for help with a case from the school. A student of theirs informed them of S.P.R. and has ties to us. The school has decided to trust us with this case and have asked for help with the problems they are having. If we solve this case and prove we can be trusted with some secret the school and it's students hold then we are allowed to continue to have ties with the student.I have reason to believe that the student they mention may Mai. In which case accepting this case may prove to be in our best interests." Naru explains handing him the letter and incident reports. The papers were passed around as one by one everyone read them over. John frowned"But how could Mai get into this school if it's so prestigious and hard to get into?" "Yeah John has a point there. I mean Mai's grades aren't exactly top notch nor is she extraordinarily talented at anything." Ayako points out. "Unless you count finding trouble and getting into it."Monk adds. "I don't know how she might have gotten into the school but it's too much of a coincidence that Mai goes missing and we get a case recommended to us specifically by a student. A student we will be allowed to keep ties to if we prove successful in solving this case." Naru explains somewhat exasperated with the lot of them as he gathered the papers back up and placed them in the envelope. Turning to the boy who had been waiting silently and patiently for them to come to their decision he gives him a nod of acceptance "We'll take this case give us a few hours to get things ready and we can leave." Turning to the others he adds, "Make arrangements to stay over night we most likely won't be aloud to leave the campus until the case is over."

With that everyone everyone left to get ready loading up the vans with any and all equipment they may need and packing up and making arrangements. The boy who gave his name to be Moke or at least to be called by that helped the best he could proving to be stronger then he looked by helping load the vans. The first boy from earlier showed back up to help introducing him self by the name of Kovu and also turning out to be in fact the twin brother of the second boy Moke, with Moke being the older of the two. The two together proved to be a bad combination with them getting into trouble by being to curious and nosy for their own good nearly undoing everything that had been done before they were sent inside to sit and not move a muscle except to make tea which together they managed with somewhat decent results or at the very least not having it end in disaster. But at last they were ready to leave the two boys piling into the van with Naru and Lin to lead the way while the others followed behind in the second van. The schools' Head Master and Head Mistress had obviously not thought out what exactly letting two young boys give directions entailed and it took longer then it need have been to finally find the school having missed several turns and having to back track on numerous occasions when one of the two boys either forgot a piece of the directions on how to get there or got the turn wrong. It didn't help any when the school didn't show up on GPS nor did either kid know the address.


	4. Chapter 4: A Confusing Start

**A Confusing Start**

Upon finally arriving at the school after much delay everyone was more then happy to pile out of the vans the two boys falling over each other to get out and race to greet a female presumably a student who stood waiting for then dressed in casual clothes that consisted of a red tank top and a pair of dark washed almost black jeans her hair a rather unique red gold strawberry blond color that went rather well with her emerald green eyes. Naru examined her closely as he approached her she greeted the boys with a expression that seemed to be a mix of exasperation and fondness muttering a few things to them that had them giving her guilty looks before she turned her attention to him. He quickly found himself being assessed in much the same way as he had to her but more intently. Strangely enough he thought he felt a brush across his mind before he pulled his mental shields up tighter blocking what ever it was out. The girl seemed impressed by something judging by the look that flickered across her face before she gave a smile and approached holding out a hand to shake.

"Hello and Welcome to Taika Academy my name is Jen and I'll be escorting you to the headmaster's office where everything will be explained to you in greater detail before you begin working on the case." She says pleasantly. Naru shook her hand taking a little peek at her using his psychometry getting a quick read of her feelings mainly curiosity, impatience which seemed not directed at him but rather at the two boys along with a sense of frustration and love also aimed at them and a strong sense of protection aimed towards some unseen person she was shielding from him. Formalities over she turned quickly grabbing each boy by an ear as they tried to slip away unnoticed and dragged them along with her as she led the way towards the closest building. "I would like to thank you for putting up with these two trouble makers as well as apologize for any actual trouble they gave you." She says with a sigh giving each ear she had in a firm grip one last twist before she released them to nurse their abused ears. Monk gave a laugh"Those two are definite trouble with a capital T." "Sad to say I know exactly the two can get up to when left to their own devices I should know I live with them. I'm their sister after all." She explains with another sigh shooting the two boys a unreadable look that had them meekly bowing their heads to her.

"Really? You don't look much alike to each other."John comments glancing between Jen and her apparent twin brothers. "I take after our mother, them our father; we have similar facial features but other then that we don't."She explains leading them into the building and up a flight of stairs towards a set of offices. "We also have another brother who is the oldest he doesn't really look like us either just again similar facial features. Whelp here we are the Head Master's office if you need anything regarding finding your way around or one of the students just come find me or my brothers or one of my pack and we'll help I suspect you may already find you have someone close to you who can help you just as well."She says disappearing back down the stairs with that last cryptic message. A secretary greeted as the door opened and showed them throw into the actual main office itself beyond the waiting area and secretary's desk. "Well that wasn't creepy at all."Yasuhara comments watching her go over his shoulder as they entered the head masters office. "And what did she mean by pack?".

"Welcome we are glad you decided to accept our request for your help." A older man says sitting behind the desk that took up a good portion of the room. He was dressed in older style more formal clothing to match his age and what little hair he had left was either gray or white. A older women stood beside him around the same age as him she too was dressed in older style formal clothing her gray and white hair swept up in a traditional hair style. Both seemed to radiate confidence, wisdom and power as well as age; age well beyond how they appeared. "I am Head Master Warin the head master of this school and this is Head Mistress Raylene the head mistress of the boys school across the way. I trust you had no difficulty find our school campus?"He asks politely after introducing himself and the women beside him who gave a small nod in greeting. "We had some trouble not much mainly due to miscommunication and misdirection from the two sent to bring us here."Naru says somewhat shortly wanting to just get on with why they were there. The Head people ignored the trace of irritation his voice held and focused on what he said instead. "Two?We only sent one. And we apologize if his directions where not very helpful he doesn't travel by streets very often especially in the direction of which your office is located. Not to mention he is only thirteen years of age." The Head Mistress spoke up for the first time her voice strict and stern as if used to giving commands and expecting them to be followed. "There were two the one you sent as well as his twin who had come by shortly before to deliver a personal letter." Was the short explanation given to their question. Part of what they had said stirred his interest someone who didn't travel by streets very much could mean he was used to riding in a car or taking the train but he should still know at least part of the way to the school especially once they got closer not try to remember the exact instructions given to him on finding the school. So how did one normally travel if not by streets?

"Ah yes Kovu the shadow one he is much more quieter of the two but where there is one you will most likely find the other especially the shadow."Head Mistress Raylene murmurs to herself understanding what he meant now. "I believe I know who sent that boy we have been asking that person to abide by the rules that have been set in place since the school first was founded for some time now and they finally choose to do so just as we have decided to try and reach a compromise situation." the Head Master answers rather quite vaguely in explanation. "Anyways lets get on with why we called you here shall we?"He says swinging the conversation back to what they had came there to discuss causing Naru to give a small irritated sigh in relief now that they were finally getting to what they had came there to do.

"We asked you here to solve a series of incidents that have been taking lace for the past few weeks. It start about three weeks ago when a small group of students were in the library. Now all the schools share the one library which is quite large plenty big enough for everyone which is part of what makes this so difficult. The students where from our understanding just hanging out when the book shelf behind the table they sat at suddenly creaked and groaned. Now we have had issues with the ground settling and earthquakes before and are used to that but there was no warning or signs of any of that happening just that one book case was doing it before books went flying off the shelves and towards the students not falling off the shelves but actually being picked out among the masses of books and being sent directly at them. The students escaped harm thanks to having made it out of the way in time and the incident was reported. We at first thought it was a student causing trouble by doing it but upon investigation it proved there was no one else close enough to do so except for those in the group. And our security system picked up nothing unusual. As we dug deeper into the one incident the next day the same thing happened again to a different set of students a little further over from the first incident and then it happened again the day after that this time it was noted that it happened around the same time as the first two incidents but on the next floor up. For the rest of that week each day somewhere in the library around that time books would fly off shelves and head straight towards any students that were close by. We finally closed the library on the Saturday of that week to prevent anyone from getting hurt and to take a closer look. But later that same day it happened again this time it was two bookcases on two different floors in different areas of the library. Several teachers had been taking a look around when they witnessed it happen and they themselves reported that only those two book cases were affected. But to make matter worse while that was happening in the library some students were suddenly bombarded by apples from a tree that grows between the girls high school and the boys and same thing the apples did not simply fall but it was as if they were thrown flying directly at the students. The following week more bookcases were being affected and more areas of the school grounds and it happened twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon at the original time. And then this past week more and more incidents have been happening at random times of the day as well as around the time the first one happened. Several students have had to miss class due to injuries accorded from these incidents and several more refuse to even come to school." The Head Master explains a grim look settling over his face as he handing over pages containing both pictures of the damage from each incident along with interviews and a few details from the first few groups affected by the first week of incidents and the teachers who witnessed the one on that first Saturday.

"We have tired to investigate this ourselves seeing as how we do not like to involve outsiders in our affairs but we have come up with nothing and we can't allow this to continue. When a student was over heard talking about your group and different cases that you have worked on we decided to give you a try seeing as how some of the things happening fit with what you have handled before. We want this settled quickly before anymore students get hurt and without alot of commotion. We have no wish for the media to get involved and come prying into our schools another reason we choose you for the job. It's our understanding that you have not only proven efficient in your work but also do not draw the media's attention while working a case. With your ties to the student we felt you may prove to be trust worthy enough to help solve this series of problems we have been having. We of course will pay you for your work but we shall also reward you. If you pass our test and prove you can be trusted and solve the case you may continue to keep your ties that connect you with the student instead of having them cut off as we much prefer sticking with the laws that our Academy was founded on." Mistress Raylene says with a sniff at the last part. The door to the office opened and a younger man dressed nicely as any teacher should stepped in. "We are sure you have plenty of questions all of which you may ask of to Professor Avalon here. He will show you to the room you may use during your stay in which to conduct your research in as well as to the rooms you will be sleeping in during your stay."

With that they were shooed from the office and into the care of Professor Avalon who just gave them a apologetic smile and led them out of the building towards another building that served as the main school building. "Okay this is where you can set up it used to be a old study hall room but with a remodeled floor plan put into place in the library it is no longer used. It has been sound proofed so you won't be disturbed by the noise from the hall and other classrooms unless you leave the door open. The Cafeteria is just outside this building towards the east you can't miss it and there are plenty of signs around to show you the way. The Athletic Center is behind this building towards the west. The Music Hall and Stadium are in between and the sports fields are on the other side of the administrative building the one we just left. there are several smaller buildings scattered around here and there as well. I'll have a map drawn up and given to you. The dorms which you will be staying in are towards the south you may have passed them on your drive in a set of four long buildings two on one side of the driveway and two on the other those are the dorms for the High schools. Girls on one side boys on the other. Do you have any questions?"He asks pointing out each building he could through the windows opening them to air out the stuffy dusty room. "Yeah I got one who on earth is the student mentioned over and over again that we have to 'cut ties with' if we don't solve this case?" Monk asks raising his hand voicing the question everyone was wanting to know the answer to. Professor Avalon smiled cryptically and simply said" That I shall show you instead of tell you."


	5. Chapter 5: The Startling Revelation

**A Startling Revelation**

With that said the professor led everyone out of the school building and towards the dorms. "Boy's dorms are the dark blue/navy and black on the right, girl's dorms are the red/maroon and black on the left. The lower floors of buildings **A** for both sets of dorms contain rooms that are used by teachers and staff who do not live in housing provided on campus or live off campus as well as visitors. You will be staying in those. Under normal circumstances we do not allow males in the females dorms and vice versa although that doesn't stop the students from doing so anyways usually using the windows as entry points." He explains as they walked earning a strange look at the last comment as their were no trees around the dorms except in between the two buildings for each gender's dorm buildings but to far apart from the windows to use to get up to the second floor. The girls dorms which they were coming up on each had a letter printed on the side of the building and on the doors showing which building was **A** and which was **B**.

A quick knock on the door to dorm **B** and a middle age women greeted them opening one side of the double doors that marked the entrance in. "This is Ms. Hino she is the dorm mother for dorm **B** she takes care of the girls who live in this dorm and makes sure the rooms remain at least somewhat clean and organizes the dorm events such as clean up day and laundry day for each week. She will take you through the dorm and then introduce the females to Ms. June the dorm mother for dorm **A** who will show them to their rooms after I'll introduce the males to the Head of The Dorm for each of the boy's dorms. As I said normally males are not allowed in here but we are making a exception for you so long as there is someone with you. "The professor says to them giving them a smile as Ms. Hino gave them a polite bow showing them into the dorm.

The dorm at least on the first floor was a long hallway with doors along each side with plaques saying what room it was from the storage room and laundry room to the actual dorm rooms themselves marked with a combination of numbers and the letter **B**. There were twelve actual dorm rooms on the first floor not including the rooms that had other purposes so the numbers ranged from **B1** through **B12** there was a set of stairs at the end of the hall that led up to the second floor. Ms. Hino led the way up the stairs entering into a open area that was obviously used as a common room sitting area with a TV on one wall with couches and chairs and two coffee tables scattered about and even some bookcases along a wall as well. The wall behind the stairs was made up of all windows giving a nice view of the grounds to accommodate the sitting area/common room. Ms. Hino moved down the hall passing the bathrooms and showers and moving to the rest of the actual dorm rooms for that floor much like the bottom floor was set up the same all unsleep rooms clustered at one end while the dorm rooms themselves where further down ranging from **B13** to **B24**. Stopping at the room marked **B23** Ms. Hino gave a quick brisk knock on the door before stepping aside. So Naru stood at the front of the group in front of the door.

There came a sound of scuffling from inside the room before footsteps sounded approaching the door. The door swung open to revel a disgruntled teenage girl with short light brown hair the tips of which were dyed blue and white and a pair of sleepy ice blue eyes that blinked at them in confusion for a minute before recognition dawned in them. "Naru?" She asks confused and startled obviously not expecting to see him there. A quick glance over his shoulder had her blinking those strange blue eyes again even more confused and just as startled. "Monk?John? Lin? Yasuhara?Ayako? Masako? What the hell are you guys all doing here?"She asks head tilted to one side. "Mai?!"Monk chokes out as everyone stared at her in obvious surprise even Naru looked somewhat startled to see her especially the way she was. A soft murmur from someone else in the room has Mai taking a sudden glance down at her self and letting out a high pitch shriek and jumping back into the room slamming the door shut in their faces apparently not having realized until whoever else was in the room point it out that she was dressed only in a loose comfy pale blue camisole with white lace and a pair of panties to match no shorts or anything on other then that.

"Mai?I don't believe it Mai was the one they were talking about this whole time!? she's the student here?!"Ayako exclaims quite loudly causing a few doors down the hall to open and girls peer out to see what the commotion was about. "Can you say it any louder I don't think they heard you over at the boys dorms yet." Monk comments rubbing an ear Yasuhara just nodded in agreement same with Masako who made a soft comment on ladylike behavior which did not include shouting. "If Mai is the student they were talking about then everything is beginning to make sense. Especially about her disappearing the way she did and the letter she sent."John murmurs softly as everything began to click into place. "I had my suspicions about it but this confirms it."Naru comments with a scowl at the door that had been rudely slammed in his face. _"Stupid girl should have checked what she was wearing before just randomly opening the door especially without checking to at least see who it is first."_ Naru thought as the scuffling returned followed by thudding and banging before the door was yanked open not by Mai but by another girl with short blond hair the tips of which were also dyed like Mai's only her's were orange and red. Her eyes were curiously multicolored like a kaleidoscope of flame colors from reds and oranges to greens and blues. She too wore a camisole on but you could see the straps of her bra under the straps of the red/orange cami and she wore a pair of dark gray smoke colored shorts.

"I'm Maharu one of Mai's roommates you can come in if you like just don't bother Aghea she's working on something right now and gets very cranky when disturbed."She says opening the door wider and moving back into the dark depths of the room. A light was flipped on somewhere in the room and Mai came around the corner of part of the room that was cut off from view of the door dressed similarly to Maharu only her shorts were white but she still wore the same cami just with bra straps now visible that hadn't been there before. The two girls didn't have anything on their feet nor did the third girl with long paler blond hair with dyed strands woven into several braids, who sat at a desk her back to them as she sewed something on a sewing machine, scraps of fabric and pins and needles, buttons and other sewing odds and ends took up most of the desk's surface. The same desk Naru realized that he had seen in his vision of Mai writing the letter.

Once everyone had filed into the room and found some surface to either a: sit on or b: lean on or against with Mai sitting on the window sill and Maharu perched on the ledge of a small loft sleeping area. Mai fidgeted nervously where she sat not meeting anyone's eyes. Naru spoke first breaking the heavy awkward silence that hung in the air. "Mai why did you move out of your apartment, transfer schools and send me a letter saying you wanted to quit?" He asks looking at her dead in the eyes as she glanced up at him as he spoke. Taking a deep breath she exhaled slowly in a sigh. "I suppose since your already here and you wouldn't be if the Head Master hadn't invited you that; you should know the truth."Mai says softly taking another deep breath and exhaling she went on "The reason I did all that isn't because I really wanted to especially the letter but because I had to for you see I ... I died."Silence complete and total silence filled the room other then the noise of girl Aghea's sewing machine; all eyes stared at Mai in disbelief. "I died and was brought back except now...now I'm no longer human."


	6. Chapter 6: A Trio Of Foxes!

**A Trio Of Foxes!**

Silence dead complete silence filled the room even Aghea had stopped sewing to turn what ever it was she was working on right side out. All eyes except of course Aghea's were on Mai. Finally the silence was broken when someone Mai wasn't sure who since she had her gaze focused on her blue and white painted toes but someone asked "Mai?What exactly do you mean you aren't human? If you aren't human what are you?" _"Deep breaths keep yourself calm and relaxed don't stress it will only make things worse keep your mind focused only on what your going to say next breath in ... breath out... breath in... good just keep at it and you'll be fine nothing can go wrong as long as you focus and keep yourself calm."_ Mai repeated to her self in her mind making use of one of her lessons from the very first day she started at the school. She didn't realize that as she breathed in and out to calm herself down she breathed a small puff of cold air or that the temperature right around her had dropped. Naru noticed it though. Especially the temperature change having done something similar himself often enough especially when he was younger. Gene had always been the calmer one and didn't have as much trouble as he had calming himself down. Naru watched with interest as Mai brought herself back under control slowly before she looked up to answer the question that had been asked.

"I ... well I'm not human, or not fully human at least, anymore. I'm ...well the best I can describe it is as a hyrbid. I'm human but also avian and vulpine or bird and fox. I also have powers now. Magic powers."She explains cautiously she peered around at them before she let her ears and tail come out. Sure enough true to her word she had a pair of white fox ears on her head and a bushy white fox tail which curled around her legs. She bite her lip a pair of sharp canines visible and her hands which clenched the hem of her shorts had longer sharper nails or talons now same with her toes. "I'm not normal. I haven't gotten control over everything yet I can't be around normal humans or out in normal society and since I've become like this I'm in danger at every possibility of being hunted and killed or worse once I learn control enough I can go out again but I'm still in danger if I revel myself to anyone the school protects me so long as I'm here but having ties to outside humans could put both me and them in danger that's why the school has the rule about cutting ties to protect both us students and those who we hold ties to. If we have no ties to humans then we can't hurt them. Later on we can form ties as long as they are trustworthy but thats not till after we have learned control I'm just beginning I still lose that little bit of control often ... very often." She admits with a wince as a blast of cold air swirled around her for a minute before dissipating.

Silence still lingered in the room. She wasn't meeting anyone's eyes anymore except for Naru's whose gaze still held her attention surprise had flickered across his face when she had shown them her ears and tail and there was still a hint of confusion in the dark depths of his eyes but other then that he was looking at her the same way he always had including the slight exasperation he always seemed to feel when it came to her. For once she was grateful for that glad he seemingly wasn't treating her any different then before. Some of the nervousness died inside her as his comforting gaze still held hers. Slowly relaxing once more a pair of white wings with pale blue highlights among the feathers extended out of her back before settling loosely along her spine. That drew a slight stunned gasp from the other which brought her attention back to them casting a glance over her shoulder at her wings the look in her eyes saying she hadn't meant for them to come out.

"Okay the hybrid part is kind of hard to dispute when we're looking at the proof right now but what do you mean about magic? Magic doesn't at least its not supposed to exist." Monk points out. Naru shook his head."Magic although it has not been proven to exist is impossible. Magic is a impossibility what is considered magic can be explained by plenty of other things that are scientifically proven. "He explains sounding very much like the scientist he was. Mai's eyes narrowed as she gave him a glare much like the ones she always used to give him. "Well your wrong Naru magic does exist and I can prove that to you right now."She growls at him."Uh oh if she's going to do what I think she's going to do I'm out of here."Maharu says jumping down from her perch and heading out the door dragging Aghea along with her.

Once the door was shut behind the two girls Mai turned her attention back to Naru giving him another glare. Her eyes closed as she called on the magic that flowed through her now calling it up letting it take shape around her she couldn't control what form it took just yet but she could at least keep somewhat of a handle on it. The air around her grew colder as the temperature dropped and a wind picked up out of no where and a miniature blizzard sprang into being inside the room surrounding Mai in the center of it. Opening her eyes she extended a hand and coaxed a snowflake to grow in her palm making it grow until she had a good size snow ball in her hand. With a evil grin and a darting glance she tossed the snow ball through the air hitting Naru directly in the chest with it. This drew a startled laugh from some of the others like Monk, Ayako and Yasuhara. John snickered covering his mouth as he did.

Naru glared right back at her as she grinned at him ignoring the heated look coaxing the snow that swirled around her into a new shape. The snow wasn't doing what she wanted at first so it took longer and more concentration and magic but finally she had the shape she wanted a snowflake made of snow lay flat on the ground. A twist of pale blue magic had the snowflake completely formed and breaking up into a ton of miniature ones to float up into her open hand. Mai grinned giving a a puff of air to send the snowflakes swirling around the room before turning her attention back to the others. "Well still think magic doesn't exist or can you explain how I just did that what little bit it was." She asks with a sly smile and a wink. The snow slowly began to vanish leaving behind a cold frost hanging in the air.

"Okay I'm willing to admit that was pretty cool."Monk says brushing some snow off his jacket that had settled on him and the others and hadn't disappeared. Mai frowned at the snow on them giving a twitch f her fingers calling the snow to her not all of it came some stayed causing her to give a frustrated growl and a jerk of her hands had the snow flinging across the room. Maharu who had stuck her head back in the room gave a yelp and ducked as some snow flew at her. "Are you done with the magic yet? "She asks warily. "It's bad enough to wake up during the night to find the room covered in frost because you lost control of your magic in your sleep it's another for you to do it on purpose during the day."She complains trudging back into the room.

Mai gave a sheepish grin at her roommate. "You covered the room in frost while asleep?!"Ayako asked eyeing the room around them. "I haven't gained full control over my magic yet I still a beginner I can't even form a weapon yet." She explains with a sigh shooting Maharu a dirty look. Maharu simply smiled sweetly and blew a puff of fire at her that twisted into a heart before being extinguished a set of red fox ears and tail having appeared on her. "So your Ice and Snow and she's Fire?"John asks both nod. "And you can't control it."That was Yasuhara patting out a bit of flame that had landed on the floor in front of him. Again both nod. "That would explain why no one is allowed on campus without permission. To protect both you and other students from being discovered and to protect innocent people from getting hurt by accident before you can control it." Naru states calmly Again both girls nodded.

"Well it could be worse I suppose you could have someone who controls say lightning."Monk jokes trying to lighten the mood. Both girls flinch and look at each other. Monk's face fell "Theres someone who controls lightning isn't there?"This received yet another set of nods. "That would be Aghea she has powers over Weather. Lightning included." Mai and Maharu answer as Aghea walks back into the room. For the first time they could actually see her eyes which were a gray hazel color with a swirl of various other colors mixed in and what looked like lightning that would every now and then dance across her irises. "Great so we have Fire, Weather, and Ice and Snow all in one room what could be worse then that!"Ayako asks sarcastically. Maharu opened her mouth to say something, "I don't want to hear it!" Ayako screams. "She's loud isn't she?"Aghea says to her two roommates covering a pair of gray fox ears that had popped out with her hands. Ayako glared at the three girls and then the three guys Monk, John and Yasuhara.

"If we are done playing around can one of you tell us what might be behind these incidents that have been happening here at this school so we may actually get to work and do as we have been called her to do?"Naru asks in a surprisingly patient voice.


	7. Chapter 7: An Introduction

**An Introduction**

"If your going to talk might I suggest moving out into the common area where there is more room it can get rather cramped in the rooms after a while and there is more surfaces to sit on out there."Jen remarks from the door where she stood. "That sounds like a good idea what do you say Naru?"Monk comments turning back to Naru who just gave a simple nod. Out in the common area there were already six others occupying two couches. Two females and four males. Two one male and one female looked like exact copies of each other besides their genders and the female having long hair. Both had golden honey brown eyes set against natural golden tanned skin with golden blond hair to match. The other two were exact opposites of each other the male having darker skin with raven wing black hair and smokey soot black colored eyes. While the female had very fair, porcelain or pale creme, skin that was most likely natural considering she had white blond hair cut short in a pixie cut and pale wispy gray colored eyes. Both had a lock of their bangs dyed in multi shades of brown that hung partially over one eye.

The other two males sitting on a different couch from the four didn't resemble the others at all or each other suggesting they weren't related. One had medium mahogany brown hair without any traces of red in it while the other one had light golden blond hair with traces with actual traces of light natural copper in it. The first one had turquoise eyes with maple tan skin while the other had a crystal blue color to his eyes with fair skin . Jen claimed a seat on the arm of the couch occupied by the two males and two females leaning back seemingly comfortable just like that while everyone else found a seat. Mai and her two roommates choose to sit with the other two males or rather in Aghea's case on one of their laps. Neither guy seemed to mind at all and were in fact grinning Mai sat between the two of them with Maharu on the other side of the blond on the end of the couch. Naru wasn't very happy to see that Mai not only choose to sit there but was leaning into one of them seemingly quite close to them both. He didn't know why it bothered him so much but it did. Naru pulled a table closer spreading the files he had been given out on it not wishing to examine hat he was feeling closer.

"Now that we're all settled time for introductions." The golden female comments from her place tucked against the side of the dark haired male who had a arm wrapped around her possessively. "My name is Roxanne or Roxy and that fellow over there that looks like my copy is my twin brother Maxwell or Max. This guy here who is brooding as per usual with him ," That earned her a raised brow and a slightly curious look from him to which Roxy simply giggled and gave him a kiss. "Is my mate Bones and the one who my brother has an arm around is Bones's younger sister and Max's mate Zanna. " Zanna gave a smile and kissed the guy she was similarly tucked up against a quick kiss on the cheek before offering up a explanation to the puzzled glances being sent at her going between Bones and her; "He takes after our father while I take after our mother we are full blood siblings and we are only a year apart we just happen to be a bit on the extreme side when it comes to not looking alike." Bones rolled his eyes at her muttering something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'A bit?That's a understatement'which earned him a elbow to the ribs from both females on either side of him. "Moving on,..." Roxy continues shooting a glare at her boyfriend. "Those two brilliant ones over there are sadly some of the few guys of our Pack and even sadder the only single guys over the age of sixteen." That last part got a dramatic sigh from the blond. "Their names are Terrance, Terry, and Cameron, Cam." She gestures first to the brunette then the blond as she named them. "Age wise Jen who is November is the oldest followed by me and then Max in July followed thus by Bones in October, then Cam in January and Terry is a few months younger being in March and then finally is Zanna at the very end of the year in December."

Introductions finally over after Naru and the rest of the group were thus introduced by Mai, who gave not only their names but also what they were and their role in the group. Naru started with what they had been told so far about the incidents that had occurred and the concern of the Head people over the escalation in them and their fear of someone being hurt. Each of the individuals present put forward some detail of what they heard or had seen of each incident. Lin separated them and wrote them done by date and time starting at the beginning at Naru's instruction. When Naru pulled out the blue prints of the library and the school grounds and other buildings each one leaned forward starting with Jen with the library pulled up a 3D image of the blueprints almost like a hologram. "It's easier like this and you get a better idea of the surroundings this way." She comments after everyone even Mai had pulled up a building. Monk whistled impressed with the display that lay before them each building color coded by who pulled it up. "Magic sure is handy to have must make doing chores so much easier."

Jen laughed when he said it before finally speaking up once she could control herself once more. "My brothers sure think so. In order not to abuse it though we are taught not to really use it for simple things we could do perfectly fine with out it. At first a spell is placed on us so that if we do abuse it for things like that we grow weaker, our magic isn't as strong and diminishes over time until we learn our learned hers pretty quick considering how new she is at this." Mai blushed shooting her friend a furious glance before muttering, "I kind of got carried away playing with it a bit too much the first week I couldn't even call up a tiny spark by the time I figured it out for myself. Right now I try not to use it to much outside of class. I may have accidentally frozen someone while playing with it." She says meekly giving a sheepish grin to Max who grimaced at the memory. "Yeah I had to thaw him out."His twin comments a ball of golden light suddenly sitting in the palm of her hand. "I'm starting to get why you can't go off campus not if you do that to someone else who isn't part of the school." Ayako comments warily eyeing her. A hurt look flashed over Mai's features so fast Naru wasn't entirely sure it had been there except he knew Mai she tended to be very violate with her emotions and truly seemed to care what others thought of her especially those she considered her friends. "Control is important for anyone to learn no matter what kind of power they have as I recall you have had only a few of the cases we have taken on it the past where you were of any real use." He comments drawing the conversation away from Mai.

Ayako gave a outraged shriek piercing him with a white hot look to match which he calmly met so long as Mai was no longer the target of any negative comments no matter what the intention behind them she was already still rather new to her physic powers but the whole magic aspect was even newer and worse since from what he had heard and seen it required extensive control and practice all of which she had less then a month to learn what little she exhibited in. She seemed to have it under some control so it didn't leak out constantly and what bit it did looked to be tied to strong emotions and considering Mai's temper and range of emotions she was doing a decent enough job by his reckoning seeing as how at the very least no one had been frozen in ice so far. Lin took the first page that contained the start of the problem situations reading the first one over before tapping the image of the library. "The first time anything occurred it happened on the fourth sub-level of the library." With a quick demonstration Jen showed him how to zoom in pulling up a divided floor image of the library now making it possible to get a closer look at each individual floor as well as each section so they could now get a detailed view of where it happened. When Len touched the image at the spot it happened a dot appeared. John examining the page pointed to the next place where the second one happened a little further over from the first one; a second dot in a different color popped up. As each of the group including Mai and her friends touched the map where a incident occurred a new color appeared with each dot. Naru sorted it all by the colors having each that occurred in the same day to be one color after the results were written down he regrouped them by location.

"Is there a purpose to why your playing with the colors?"Yasuhara asks watching it all curious as to what exactly Naru was doing. "Trying to see if there is something any of them have in common other then the time that may give us a clue as to what is happening."He explains trying several arrangements before letting them go back to the original arrangement. Gazing at the display he tried to make sense of it all in his head trying to find one thing at the very least that could connect two or more of them together but he couldn't come up with anything tangible. Terrance suddenly spoke for the first time drawing attention to himself. "Well I know one thing that the first two things have in common. They took place in the section of the library that holds books on different types of magics, weather and environment based magics are in that immediate area; and the first bookshelves that it happened with on the back side, actually holds books on water based magic as well as the sub category of ice and snow magics since they are just frozen water really. Mai was in there on those two days I know because she asked me to show her where to find them. I had also shown her where the fire based magic books were which were on the next bookshelf after where the second one had some books on ice magic with her later the same day when I saw her and fire magic books the next day." He blinked looking around him as his friends seemed to glare at him while Naru and everyone else looked at him first startled by what he had said and then turning to look at Mai who sat next to him trying to shrink down into her seat and disappear fear glimmering in her eyes as if they would crucify her, blaming her for everything that happened. "Mai?Is that true?" Naru wasn't paying attention to who spoke his attention focused directly at Mai who looked as if she was being labeled a monster and responsible for everything that had happened and had done it all on purpose. The depths of her eyes told him this and so much more about the fear she held. Somehow Naru felt he could understand that fear in some ways she was a lot like how he used to be when he was much younger but he had had Gene, Mai...Mai didn't have anyone. Reluctantly she gave a slight nod and whispered softly trembling, "Yes its true."


	8. Chapter 8: Playful Predators

**Playful Predators**

With all eyes on Mai she seemed to shrink further into the couch before she straightened up taking a deep breath her eyes closed repeating the breathing pattern from earlier meditating to calm herself down and get her emotions mainly her fear under control before speaking. When she opened her eyes there was a determined light in them. "Yes I was in the library in those areas when the incidents happened but that doesn't mean I did anything to cause them. I was just trying to mind my own business and find some books. You can check with the librarian they'll tell you what books I had. I was doing a little bit of research into my magic those books had some spells in them I wanted to try out. The fire books were because they held some protection spells and methods against those kinds of magic and also for Maharu to look through. As far as I know trying to find some research books is not illegal or against school rules so forgive me for just happening to be in the area. And if you must know no I couldn't feel anything at work like spirits or magic or anything. I've never been able to really tell if something was the work of a spirit or not and I didn't feel anyone using magic so don't look at me like that I'm so sick and tired of everyone treading carefully around me and treating me like a freak or a monster I already got enough of that my week or so here because I had physic powers and ice magic and wasn't born with any magic and because I'm an orphan and I'm just really tired of it all by now just when I get settled in everything has to get screwed up and I get blamed. "

Mai's voice had been steadily rising as she talked until she was shouting and screaming out the last part standing on her feet her face twisted with anger, hurt and frustration her fear no longer present. Silence ensued after she was done all eyes still on her as she stood there panting after her screaming fit. Glaring at everyone and anyone. A inkling of a thought seemed to hide in the back of Naru's mind but he couldn't quiet reach it or see what it was but he felt it was important. Naru shook his head to clear it the thought would come to him later for now he had to deal with a temperamental female who was beyond frustrated and tired of everything from the sound of it he just wished she could have chosen a quieter way of expressing her feelings on the issue if she had to and knowing Mai as he did when it came to her she would express how she felt about something and it tended to be a in a loud obnoxious way that drew attention. "No one's accusing you Mai. Your not automatically responsible for what has been happening just because you were there for the first two times it happened." Monk says holding up his hands to try and calm her down. "We're sorry for upsetting you we weren't accusing you or anything like Monk said your not to blame."Ayako apologizes going over to give Mai a hug as she visibly began to relax once more. "We don't know what's causing this or why or anything just yet we only just arrived we still haven't set up yet. We need to do some research first and really look into this before we jump to any conclusions."Naru says calmly replacing the papers in the folder glad the hysterics were over with.

"We can help you set stuff up if you like consider us free labor .Besides things will go much faster with all of us helping out especially since we're stronger then normal people." Maharu pipes up getting to her feet and giving her roomie a hug as well. All the others of their little group nodded or voiced their agreement except for the guy Cameron who simply groaned. "Ah man! Why do we have to help? If we have to help we should at least get payed for it."He complains as he too climbed to his feet like the others. Mai rolled her eys at him Roxy walked over and cuffed him on the shoulder. "Stop your whining and come along you get to help out anyways whether you want to or not." She says hooking her arm through his to drag him along as everyone else got up to head out to where the vans were parked to unload. Naru opened up the back of the first van and let Mai take over directing who got what as he moved on to the next van to begin unloading that one. By the time everyone had something from the second van the first one was empty and everyone was gone already having headed in to set up the room that would be their base. He had no idea how they knew which one it would be but he had the feeling that by the time he got there they would already have everything almost completely set up. They seemed to move fast and from what they said they were strong as well. He was proved right upon entering the room to find Mai directing the guys in setting up the shelves as the girls set up the rest. Monk whistled setting down his arm load of stuff. "Pay up Monk" Yasuhara smiles triumphantly holding out a hand which Monk deposited some money in with a scowl after digging it out of his pocket. "You bet on something like this?"Masako asks looking at them in disbelief. "You doubted they would?"Ayako asks in return. This one of the girls gave a rather unladylike like snort while another chuckled and a third offered up a opinion. "They're men. Our's do stuff like that as well even the three younger ones and the two older."

Quickly enough the shelves were assembled and the equipment set up. "We'll set up cameras in every spot an incident took place in as well as a mic. For the first two incidents set up the cameras so they face different angles but you can still see the other spot just so we can get a different view of each through each of the cameras. Naru explains pointing out the two places on the blue prints. "When would be the best time to talk to some of the students involved in the first few incidents?" Naru asks turning to Mai as she moved to grab a camera. She paused clearly thinking. "Most likely tomorrow either during lunch, or during the afternoon break otherwise after school or during clubs. We can gather them together for you and either send them here or escort them. You may end up with more then just them, you will probably draw a crowd of those who either actual come in or just hang around and watch you. Outsiders are rare in this school." She says with a bright smile and a small laugh at his displeased expression. She grabbed the last mic all the cameras already having been grabbed and picked it up with ease despite it being unwieldy when it comes to bulk. She sauntered out of the room with out another word. Leaving Naru to scowl at her retreating form and unsure why he was all of a sudden now noticing the way her hips and rear fit in her shorts rather nicely.

 _"Forget it. You're just confused by all that's been going on today is all."_ He tells himself giving his head a shake returning his attention to getting the monitors going already a few cameras were showing pictures of the different locations he wanted one or two appeared to be at a rather ...umm…. unique angle that would have to be fixed since apparently it was one of the males who set them up so they got a view of one of the girl's rears as she bent over to fix the cord around the stand on a mic. Monk gave a laugh when he caught sight of the picture on the monitor. "Okay which genius thought up that idea?" He asks drawing John and Yasuhara's attention to it as well. "Who knows but if she finds out she will most likely be wanting to kill whoever did it."Yasuhara comments with a slight laugh of his own. "Can someone adjust the camera so it's angled higher." Naru asks through speakers. The camera tilted up higher until the picture was at a more level angle. "That's good."He says moving on to making sure the mic's were picking up any noise or sounds made as each was connected. "Sheesh you really don't have very good manners just like Mai said." That was one of the females he wasn't sure which most likely whoever adjusted the camera and from the way it was muttered they obviously didn't care if he overheard it or not.

One by one everyone returned to the room and claimed a seat on some surface or another whether or not it was meant to be sat upon or not. Mai including choose to sit on the edge of the table kicking her legs as she along with the others of her little group watched him. He choose to ignore her the best he could along with the way he noticed exactly how long her legs were. He frankly didn't know about the way he was all of a sudden noticing these things about her but he was putting it out of his mind to the best of his ability and choosing to ignore everything and concentrate on the matters at hand. It took a while but finally the base was all set up and ready to go for tomorrow. They would check any footage and recordings collected during the night in the morning. "Naru stood up and moved to reach for his bag of stuff that had been left on the floor half under the table. "We're all set now so we might as well go find our rooms and get settled in before we find out what to do about meals." He says grabbing the strap to his bag and standing up straight nearly hitting heads with Mai who had twisted herself around to peer over the edge of the table to see what he was getting. She gave him an apologetic smile twisting herself back around and hopping down off the table top as everyone else climbed to their feet as well.

"We didn't have the chance to get any food other then a few drinks and we aren't allowed off campus so we will have to make do with any food we can find around here." Ayako says shouldering her own bag. "Ohh that's easy there is the cafeteria as one option there is always someone in the kitchen at all hours and you can get food from there or there is a nice cafe run by some of the university students that holds late hours and serves awesome sandwiches and there are several other options including the dorms. They have small kitchens themselves and the dorm head cooks meals there or you yourselves can cook whatever you want; you just have to sign in to use it. You can do whatever you like. Ohh just don't let either Roxy or Max cook you anything or let them in the kitchen neither one can cook for beans." That was Jen who listed the options and gestured towards the twins. "Max once set the kitchen on fire at the house." Someone else commented as well adding their two cents into the conversation. "He also managed to set water on fire. "That was another person as well earning them a startled glance from Monk, John, Yasuhara and Ayako. Masako just gave a small shake of her head although she did shoot a curious look towards the guy in question who gave a rueful smile and shrugged. "How…?"Ayako aks unable to finish the question. "You don't want to know." Zanna says with a shake of her head. "He's just special that way." An older male waved to them as they exited the school building Jen's younger brothers were with him and the sun was setting signaling exactly how late it was getting. Jen waved back at him with a delighted smile on her face, breaking away from the group to run to him. "That's her older brother. She's probably going home for the night." Roxy explains " She sometimes stays in the dorms sometimes she goes home it depends on the day." She says in response to the question looks she was receiving.

At the crossroads that led to the dorms they all split up the males of the group leading , Len, Monk, Yasuhara, John and Naru himself to the boys dorm while the girls with Mai in the lead led Ayako and Masako. "By the way why is Naru called Naru?" Someone could be heard asking as they entered the red dorms. This earned a laugh and a launch into an explanation as the door swung closed behind them. Everyone was introduced to the dorm heads and shown to their rooms where they got settled in with those of Mai's group watching them curiously. Afterwards they all met up again to go get food finally settling on ordering pizza from a culinary majors student run cafe. A fight broke out over number of pizzas to order and who was paying which was settled by Monk offering to pay half. He came to regret it later upon seeing the number of pizzas actually ordered. Apparently due to their magic and abilities they burned through alot of calories each day as their bodies tried to keep up and had to take in twice to three times the amount of a normal human. Mai explained that as another fight broke out over how many slices each person got when the pizzas arrived. Eating with a bunch of carnivores proved disastrous when it came to meat lovers pizza. It didn't last long. It only took one comment from Masako to have Mai eating at a much slower calmer more sedate pace then the others. Naru grabbed a slice of the meat lovers pizza which Mai traded him a extra cheese slice for after she finished the three she had grabbed herself before they ran out. Finally everyone walked back to the dorms to settle in for the night and go to bed and eventually go to sleep, Good nights were said by Mai and her friends as they parted ways a few yawning as they departed. Naru hesitated in the doorway watching as Mai made it into the dorm safely well as safely as walking into the door frame while yawning could be. He retired to his own room for the night settling into the bed with a book his thoughts drifting between the case and Mai as he feel asleep like that.


	9. Chapter 9: A Dreamer's Dream

**A Dreamer's Dream**

She was drowning. Air was nonexistent. What little air she had left her body in a cloud of bubbles. She sunk down further as her blood leaked from her body. Her life was trickling away. Her limbs felt like lead. She was cold. So very cold. She tried to regain her strength, to fight to the surface but it was useless.

The moon shone bright over head. She vaguely remembered watching a movie that started out like this but she knew there was no hope of her coming back from this. She wondered if she would become a ghost, a spirit. If she did maybe she could see them again. See HIM again. She struggled trying to move her arms or legs calling out for help in her mind. Begging pleading for someone, anyone to come and find her, to come help her.

She sobbed silently as she sunk down deeper into the icy depths of the water. She was dying. She new that she knew that she would not see the ones she cared for again. Pain was a thing of the past. All she felt now was a icy numbness. Despite her numerous wounds all over her body she felt nothing.

Even fear was gone as she continued to sink. She reached out with one hand reaching towards the surface towards the moon. Her eye lids grew heavy as consciousness fled from her mind and body. Before everything went completely black she thought she saw him. The one who was already gone from this world. The one she would most likely be seeing again soon but also being no longer a apart of this world.

Darkness washed over her and she felt no more. She could see him though. He stood there waiting for her calling to her trying to urge her to go back. She couldn't go back though. Just as she was about to reach out and take his hand something pulled her back. No not something, someone.

A creature a being stood before her offering her life again. Life in return for servitude. She would live again but she would no longer be human she would serve this creature this being for the rest of her life. She would serve as a host to him. To his power. The newest generation in a long line of them. "If you agree to form a contract with me call out your name." He said his head resting under the palm of her hand.

She looked down at him and looked back over her shoulder to the one who stood there still waiting for her a worried anxious look on his face a look she would never see on **HIS** face no matter how similar they appeared. "I'm sorry. I can't go with you. But perhaps, maybe just maybe you can still stay with me. We might be able to see **HIM** again." She calls to him watching as he gave her this sad smile before she turned back to the one offering her life.

"I agree to bind myself to you under a contract." She states with a determined look in her brown eyes. "Call out your name." He whispers as a key in the shape of a snowflake appeared in front of her. "MAI!" Light sprang from the key from the creature filling the darkness blinding her as she reached out towards the key.

She gasped as someone grabbed her pulling her out of there. Her surroundings changed she was standing on a platform of light surrounded by darkness that was light but by thousands of tiny lights like stars. "Gene!"She shouts relieved to see him again. He held her hand tight keeping her with him. "Hello Mai. It's good to see you again." He says giving her one of his smiles. He laughed when she launched herself at him giving him a hug.

"I missed you so much Gene. I was afraid I would never see you again after that happened. I didn't know what happened to you if you had moved on or if you were now stuck in some kind of limbo." Mai says giving him another squeeze and a quick kiss on the cheek before releasing him. "No I stayed with you. I thankful for that as well. I myself wasn't sure what would happen but that being seems to have done something to keep me here with you. Although he does tend to be a grouch much like that brother of mine."

Mai laughed at that calming down now that she was with Gene her dream well the first half of her dream anyways had rattled her more then she cared to admit. Remembering what had happened that day, the day her life changed, had really frightened her as it brought everything back crashing over her. But with Gene she felt like she could put it behind her and concentrate on the now.

"Oh that reminds me, speaking of Naru he's here at the school for a case. Do you know anything about what's going on around here? What's causing these incidents?" She asks him hoping for some insight into this mysterious case. Gene just looked at her long and hard for a while in complete silence before answering her. "Your far more connected and involved in this case then you think, Mai. You have to remain calm and trust that things will work out okay in the end."

Mai woke with a start blinking up at the ceiling puzzling over what Gene had said. She didn't understand it. What did he mean she was more involved and connected to the case then she thought? She gave a groan of frustration rolling over in her bed giving Maharu's arm a swat as it dangled down over the edge of the top bunk.

The arm retreated as she heard and felt her friend shift rolling over herself in the bed above her. Mai shook her head shifting trying to get comfortable again thought she knew it wasn't likely that she would go back to sleep again. She tended to doze lightly tossing and turning for the rest of the night after one of those dreams. She didn't usually dream again after dreaming of how she was turned. So she doubted this time would be any different.

She did in fact remain like that until morning dozing off every so often as she pondered over what Gene had said to her. The next thing she knew after dozing off again just as light was creeping in through the cracks in the curtains her alarm clock was going off. She jolted upright in her bed banging her head on the bottom of the top bunk. She cursed rubbing her head as she reached to shut off her Elsa alarm clock, a joke of a gift from Jen's darling younger brothers who had watched the movie Frozen and decided that she was just like Elsa.

She had just settled back down in her bed when Maharu's alarm clock went off overhead. The sounds of scuffling and a blast of hot air filled the room for a split second before disappearing. Maharu's alarm clock, a Brave one also a gift from Jen's brothers, had been fire proofed after the first time Maharu blasted it with a fireball after it went off. Everyone's alarm clocks were spelled against damage so they couldn't be simply shut off by a spell or attack being launched at them.

The shrilling ring shut off as Maharu got up and shut it off manually. Both girls were sitting up in bed neither one about to lie back down again as the third alarm went off. Aghea's alarm clock sat on the railing of the loft that was Aghea's bed and it fit with the Disney theme as well, hers was an Atlantis: The Lost Empire clock also a gift from the boys. With a groan all three girls were up and awake whether they wanted to be or not.

The mad scramble to get ready ensued as the three tried to get showered and dressed in time to get food and get to school relatively on time. Mai was the last one out the door hopping on one foot down the stairs trying to get her other sock and shoe on and her tie tied. Pausing briefly to check a hall mirror and make sure her hair looked okay. She did carry a brush in her bag but she wanted to look nice in case she ran into Naru this morning.

Mai slid onto the bench in the cafeteria beside her friends. "Just made it Mai another few minutes and you wouldn't have enough time to eat breakfast and get to class." Zanna comments finishing off her fried egg on toast. Mai grumbled quietly as she loaded her plate up with food. She had recently discovered that the school made a variety of foods for all meals including western foods. She had taken a liking to the eggs, sausage, ham, bacon, hash browns and pancakes breakfast platter with oatmeal and toast on the side with a banana and orange juice.

Mai was just finishing her breakfast when the first bell rang signaling it was time for the first period of the day. There was clatter that echoed through the cafe as everyone hurried to dump any trash they had and drop their trays on the conveyor belt back into the kitchen. She grinned brightening up as she spotted Ayako and Masako entering the cafe. She waved and called to them as she passed. "I'll meet you guys at the base later when I can get away."She calls

"And that is why you will never get any smarter." She hears Naru say coming in the door as she was heading out. She nearly collided with him and fell except he grabbed her arm to stable her. "Hey that's not true! I go to class normally and I pay attention so I am to getting smarter besides I'll just skip English class to stop by for a short while." She says frustrated with Naru for well being Naru and making his usual comments.

"If you skip English how will you know how to talk to a English person in their language?" Naru asks her with a smirk his arms crossed over his chest. "When would I be talking to a English person?" Mai tosses back at him without really thinking before she spoke. "You do realize I'm English correct?And your talking to me right now." He says with another smirk that caused her to give a frustrated growl and throw her hands up in the air.

The school bell rang again signalling that class was now in session. "Shit I'm late!This isn't over Naru!"She shouts dashing around him and racing off to class. She could still here his chuckle in her head as she slid down the hall and into her classroom just as the teacher was about to take attendance. "Mai take your seat and be quick about it so I can get this class started please." The teacher says with a sigh. Mai plopped down in her chair letting out a puff of air as she sunk down into it.

Her classes seemed to drag on and on forever today but she didn't skip any of them just to prove a point to Naru that she was serious about learning. Finally it was lunch and she could swing by the base to see them. She stopped just outside the door though her heart constricting in her chest as she caught sight of one of the most popular and pretty girls in school flirting with Naru rubbing her breasts all over him. Mai turned on her heal and left without entering the room or calling out or saying a word not even making a single sound.

When Monk tracked her down with Yasuhara a short while later she had barely eaten anything and was just skating around on the ice rink in the sports center. "HEY!MAI!"He calls to her as she skated past not having heard him calling to her the first few times. Looking up she twisted around so she was skating backwards. "Monk! Yasuhara!What are you guys doing here?"She asks startled she hadn't even heard them enter. "We came looking for said you would stop by and you did but you didn't even come in the room. So we came to see whats up."Yasuhara explains.

"Oh." That's all she said as she twisted around again doing another circuit around the rink picking up speed as she approached them doing a small jump before landing on the ice again and gliding towards them grabbing the walls to stop herself. "Sorry about that I was just … well I got distracted is all and I needed to clear my head." She says with a slight shrug climbing up out of the rink sitting herself down on the bench to undo her skates.

"You skate pretty good have you always been able to ice skate?" Yasuhara asks her curiously."Actually I'm just learning I've never even been on ice before but it just kind of seems to call to me now so I've picked it up." She says with another shrug. "Your pretty good at it for having just learned."Monk comments before switching back to the topic at hand.

"Anyways you must have seen that girl who was in the room when you came by. She just dropped by when she heard we where here to investigate the incidents. And she kind of attached herself to Naru. He didn't encourage her or anything and in fact tried to tell her to get off him but she didn't want to listen at all."Monk explains trying to get Mai to understand and cheer up he hated seeing her all depressed like this. "It doesn't matter Naru is really handsome so I'm sure he attracts all kinds of attention its none of my business what he does. "She growls taking off a skate and tossing it aside.

Before either Monk or Yasuhara could respond the air seemed to thicken around them and the skate Mai had just tossed along with her other one which she had taken off and set beside her wobbled and shifted about before they both rose up into the air slowly and went flying around causing the two guys to duck out of the way as they went whizzing by their heads. "What the?" Monk shouts. Things quickly grew worse though a lot worse.

The bench under Mai began to shake although she didn't seem to notice. It shook and rattled and jumped a foot into the air with her on it; dumping her to the floor as it jumped again higher this time before crashing down again as Mai let out a surprised yip at being tossed tot he ground. Monk and Yasuhara slowly started to climb to their feet again now that the bench and the skates had settled back down but never finished standing up as benches further up and on the complete opposite side of the rink began to shake and rattle before flying up into the air and getting tossed about.

Monk grabbed Mai and Yasuhara and dove into the ice hockey's penalty box a little further down the only place surrounded on all four sides by plexi-glass and the bench not moving. Mai shrieked as a bench went flying into the glass in front of them. Monk began to chant which triggered Mai to remember she too could do something to be of help right about now. She joined in with what she knew but it seemed to have no effect. "Dammit this isn't working. Whatever this is it isn't the work of a spirit or if it is a really strong one."

The bench under them suddenly sprang to life jumping into the air and crashing back down causing Mai to let out shriek. "Monk I think we got a problem." Yasuhara says pointing outside the box where all the other benches and other things were now heading straight towards them crashing into the glass over and over and the bench in the box jumped again and crashed back down.

"Dammit we're trapped."Monk curses jumping off the bench and pressing against a wall. "No." Mai says rather calmly looking straight up above them. "What do you mean no?" Mai gave them a smile a rather calm one considering the situation. "No we aren't trapped" She grabbed both of them by a arm jumping onto the bench when it crashed back down again keeping a hold of them she waited until the bench rose back up into the air and jumped straight up putting as much force into her legs and into the jump as she could.

A large pair of blue tipped white bird wings extended out of her back as soon as they cleared the plexi-glass enough for her to spread them. With a few quick powerful beats she rose higher pulling them along with her as she kept her grip on them. She put as much power into her wings as she could lifting them higher and higher into the air slowly climbing up towards the ceiling up into the rafters the one and only safe place it seemed.

"Mai?!" She wasn't sure who it was who said her name all she could do was concentrate on trying to pull both of them with her up towards safety. It felt like forever her wings burning and every muscle in them and her arms felt like they were on fire before she finally reached the rafters and could set them down. Panting she dropped down onto a thick metal rafter beam letting her wings just droop behind her giving Monk and Yasuhara a grin even as they stared at her. "What I said I was part bird didn't I?"


	10. Chapter 10: Danger Awaits

**Danger Awaits**

Getting down is never as easy as getting up. It took two round way trips for Mai to get Yasuhara and Monk down from the rafters where she had put them. This was after she had gotten herself down and then realized that they didn't have wings like her and couldn't just jump down without killing themselves.

Naru shook his head as Mai set Yasuhara down on the ground tired from having to make the two trips and carrying them down. The adrenaline now gone it turned out while she was strong carrying the two down at once was impossible; she wasn't entirely sure how she had gotten them up there in the first place.

"Mai no more getting people up in high places if you can't get them down afterwards."He comments inspecting the damage done by the flying benches that now lay scattered on the ground and ice. Mai barely manged a growl from where she was bent over panting. "Remind me to kill him later when I have more energy."She remarks to someone he wasn't sure who she was talking to as he ignored her picking through the wreckage.

He moved a bench aside and picked up a ice skate that lay among the overturned damaged benches. At first he figured it had come from the skate rental window on the far side of the rink but upon closer examination it proved to have Mai's name printed on the blade. "You said you were sitting down on a bench when things first started?"

"Yeah I was taking off my skates and they all of a sudden went flying and then the bench I was sitting on started to jump around. It knocked me to the ground and then more benches started to do the same thing." Mai says recounting what had just happened. "The skates went flying after you threw one first." Yasuhara comments helpfully.

This caught Naru's attention. "Why did you throw your skate? You don't have the money to buy a new pair if you damage them by throwing them around, so you obviously wouldn't do something like that without good reason." Mai flushed looking down. "I kind of lost my temper and threw it without thinking."

Again a thought popped into his head but stayed just out of reach. He knew it was important and he knew it was related to Mai but he couldn't figure out what exactly it was. "You really shouldn't throw something just because you lost your temper. It's very unladylike like." Masako informs Mai much to her displeasure

"This security system mentioned, would it have gone off if a spell had been used?" Naru asks kicking aside some rubble that came up from the floor when some of the benches that had been bolted to the floor had been pulled up to go flying around in the air. He picked up Mai's other skate before turning to her as she answered him.

"Yes at least I think so. A spell of this magnitude, and it would have to be a pretty strong one to do all this, would have set off the alarm unless programmed in before hand. That's why all classes are planned out before hand so the spells can be programmed in." She says giving him a grateful smile that made is heart skip when he handed her her skates back. "There isn't anyway the system isn't working?"Lin asks even as Mai shook her head.

"It works similar to a computer program it's linked directly to a central control room and only certain teachers have access to it. It's actually a mix of a actual computerized alarm system and a spell. The spell is laid into the system through code and works to detect any magic being used to cause harm or any large scale magic and then works to shut it down or alert the teachers." She explains then shrugging when everyone stared at her.

"What? We had to do a project on magic in technology I choose the security system and bribed the student intern of the week into letting me into the room and giving me the details." "Mai I'm pretty sure that should be against school rules to do that." Ayako says with a sigh her head in her hand. "It's not in the student handbook I checked." She says with a satisfied smile. Ayako stared at her harder before giving up with a sigh. "You really shouldn't do something like that. "I got an A on my paper" Mai offers with a grin

"Back to the subject at hand. Monk did you sense anything at all when this was happening?" Naru asks turning his attention to him. Monk shook his head. "Nothing and anything I did seemed to have no affect if it is a spirit it's a very powerful one." Naru turned to Masako next. "Do you sense anything right now?"

She paused for a moment before answering him. "There are a few spirits here but only one in this actual building and she is simply curious as to what happened she isn't strong enough to do anything like this." She says softly looking towards the announcers booth where a shadow of a person could be seen inside.

"You'll find several former students here still. I asked about that when I first transferred here. A lot of them are very aware too, some even go to class still. There is one in my class who died back in 1979." Mai pipes up. "Okay it's official your school is weird." Monk says giving her a weirded out glance.

"It could be a student or someone behind this still somehow or it could be a spirit we need to dig deeper." Naru says looking up at the jumbotron that hung above the rink. "I want to ask if it's possible to get a camera up there so we can get a view of the whole arena in case this happens here again." "I think there is a camera in there already at least during hockey games they pull up images of the whole audience on it." Mai offers.

"Lin ask if we can have access to that then." Naru says turning to pick his way out of the building. He wanted to get a closer look at each area that a incident took place he suspected there was a connection somewhere or a clue. He also wanted a better look at exactly what took place. And now was the perfect time to do so with everyone about to go back to class.

The library was his first stop explaining to the librarian on duty that he wasn't a student when asked to show his pass showing them the letter from the head people before he was allowed to go further. Looking like a high school student still had its downsides when working in a school. And apparently judging from the few students he saw the male school uniform consisted of a black jacket with white trim, black pants and a white shirt with a blue plaid tie and the school crest on the jacket.

His usual black jacket and pants were similar to the uniform enough that at first glance he could be mistaken for a student. Finding the elevator all the way in the back of the library he hit the button to go down noting that according to what plans their were there were two upper levels and numerous lower ones not all of which were documented or that the elevator went down to.

The elevator was old and not in the best condition but it worked and although slow it go him to the floor he wanted eventually. Impatient by the time the doors opened he strode out hunting through the rows of massive shelves till he found the areas he wanted still roped off. "The basics of water magic, mermaids and nymphs and how to avoid their spells, sirens of the sea, Yuki-onna and other snow spirits of the world, Ice Magic and the dangers of using it."

Naru murmurs reading the title of some of the books until he found the exact area where snow and ice magic books were. He ran his hand along the bindings of some of them looking for a trace of Mai on them with his psychometry, pausing when he found her on the book about the dangers of ice magic along with several other books. He pulled those out and set them aside on a table before moving to the next area the one that housed fire magic books.

He repeated the process again reading some of titles, "Furies and how to avoid death by one, Dragons not so mythical after all, Drawing energy from a Volcano the do's and don'ts, Fire against Water opposite elements attract, The Balance of Nature Fire needs Water as Water needs Fire.", before he found the ones he was looking for that Mai had took out.

He didn't question some of the titles on the shelves despite some of the strange ones there were he had what he wanted and now he wanted to get to work. A careful scan gave him exactly which tables were involved in the incidents and which to avoid for now until he was ready. He choose to sit on the floor rather then at a table and made himself comfortable.

He organized the stacks of books into the two piles, snow and ice magic books and fire magic books. He picked out one book the one on the dangers of using ice magic and flipped through it quickly picking up some interesting things from it as he did like the fact that if a person was frozen in ice by magic they are still alive just in a completely frozen state they have no need to breath or no need for their heart to beat or anything they are quiet literally frozen. Left that way for too long though it seems they do eventually turn to ice completely.

Ice magic appeared to be controlled more by the heart then the head. Many ice magic users in history found it easier to control if they showed or displayed no emotion which was not something he could see Mai doing she could never stay quiet for very long. Finally finished flipping through the book and storing away some useful new information in his mind he got down to what he really was there to do.

He ran his hands over the book letting himself sink into the book using his psychometry. He focused his power on Mai skipping past any others who touched the book. There, she was rather easy to find and focus on since apparently she had been thinking about him while she held this book.

Mai stood in back of the shelve a piece of paper in her hand as she hunted for more titles that were on her list. She growled her frustration as she tried to reach a book just out of her reach. A quick flash and a cold wind surrounded her which she shakily directed to the book she wanted clutching the one she already held to her chest.

The wind carried the book down to her wobbling from the weight of it. She took it with a grin letting the wind wrap around her like a content cat before it vanished as quickly as it appeared. She wasn't actually thinking about the books or at least not completely part of her mind was thinking about the books she wanted another part was thinking about the wind and her new powers while another focused on how much her life had changed recently.

The main thing she thought about when she thought of how her life had changed was about Naru. She missed him surprisingly more then she thought she would. She still was holding out hope that once she had better control over her magic she would be allowed to go back to work. She really wanted to do that. She wanted to see everyone again. She wanted to see Naru again.

Her heart ached painfully at the thought of never being able to see him again. She had so much she wanted to do. She wanted to try and make him smile try and make him laugh. As she grabbed the last book off the shelve something else floated across her mind. Someone was talking about her on the other side of the shelf.

This was nothing new and she tried to shut it out she was rather different from most of the students and quite a few seemed to see her as new gossip material. Someone to put down and treat differently someone to bully. Mai had gone through this before after her parents died so it was nothing new and she just tried to shut it out the best she could.

"Did you hear?Dat girl still thinks she can go back to her old life. Doesn't she know now dat she has supposed 'magic' she can never go back?" One girl says with a sneer. A guy laughs along with several others. "Yeah who does she think she is? I mean we all had to give up our mundane ties when we transferred here so she has to too. She ain't special at all and it ain't fair for her not to have to give it up."

Another girl could be heard saying that with much venom projected into words. Mai flinched as she heard it chanting to herself, _"Shut it out, don't pay them any heed, ignore them, their just stupid they don't understand."_ , trying to will herself not to pay attention to their words. "I heard she just wants to go back because of a guy. I heard he's older and like way smart like a doctor or something, yo." A guy chimed in earning a laugh from one of his fellow guys.

"Ewww she is so like way out of her league then with a guy like dat. And I mean come on a older guy? Dat's just disgusting I mean who wants to chase after some twenty thirty something year old man? Hashtag Ewww. Besides if he's so smart and I bet handsome then he has to be married already. And chasing after a married man is just disgusting and so trashy." A third girl throws in.

"It gets even better girl, I heard this directly from one of her so called little friends. I heard dat the dude is her boss. She is chasing after some older married doctor guy who is her boss that is like way gross! Hashtag Panther Alert." The first girl chimes in with a high pitch laugh and a sneer as her other friend joined in on her laughter. "No you mean hashtag Gerbil Alert." The second girl corrects the first. "No I mean Panther duh. Honestly Brit you are so stupid at times GAWD!"

The girls started in scrabbling with each other their friends throwing their weight to one side or the other of the argument. Mai in the mean time had given up on trying to shut them out and just stood there shaking as she listened to them. _"Stop it. Stop it please. Please just stop it already. Just shut up. Shut up. Shut up. SHUT UP!"_ She turned with a sob running away from the book shelve and the spiteful group of students on the other side of it.

The book shelf that she had just left had started to shake. Just like in the report it shook but only the one shook and then their were the screams as books apparently went flying off the shelves. And through it all Mai was running away from it sobbing and shaking herself her heart torn to shreds by their words no matter how hard she tried to guard herself. Her feet left icy footprints where she stepped and their was a thin coat of ice and a few flakes of snow covering the books she held.

Naru pulled back with a gasp panting for breath as he fought to surface back to himself again. He tried to sit up but found he was to nauseous to do so and laid back down where he had apparently fallen. He sorted out what he had just witnessed. Mai had been there but she had left just before the incident took place. She had also been in no state to tell if a spirit was at work or not. She had been far to upset to notice. Again the same thought popped into his head but again it remained to far for him to see. It did feel closer this time but it was still too hazy for him to understand what exactly it was about other then he did know it had to do with Mai. Mai and those girls.

Shaking his head he sat up. Immediately he felt like he was going to be sick not a feeling he enjoyed experiencing but one he preferred to feeling Mai's pain the way he had. He didn't care to examine the way it made him feel knowing she was in pain or knowing that she had been thinking about him. He stubbornly set those thoughts aside and focused on what he had learned.

The group involved consisted of at least three girls and two guys one of the girls he had already met. He recognized her voice from earlier. A girl had just wondered into the base looking for him. She seemed surprised at first that he was so young but was then distracted by how good looking he was. She proceeded to twine herself around him purring stupid little things in his ear as she rubbed her large breasts against his arm which she clutched in a death grip with claw like nails digging into his skin through his sleeve. She had worn her plaid uniform skirt shorter then what was required and had her shirt unbuttoned quite a bit showing half her chest.

He frankly didn't care how pretty she was she had the brains of a flea and apparently only cared about her appearance and putting others down. Mai at least committed what she didn't know and learned about to memory and at the very least had some brains. She was also charming, funny, sweet, sympathetic, sensitive to others, and stubborn. Very stubborn and emotional. She took other peoples feelings into consideration before she did something a lot of times. She seemed to love with all her heart as well. Something he couldn't truly understand.

Naru sighed gathering together all the books and making his way towards the elevator but before he could reach it someone appeared out of nowhere behind him. He whirled to face them sensing them appear. It was one of the guys from Mai's group of friends the one she had leaned against while sitting in the common room in the dorms. Cameron. Before he could say a word another guy from the group appeared. This one was the dark colored one Bones and he appeared out of the darkness of the shadows that seemed to cling to different corners and areas of the library. A third guy appeared or rather he had been there all along but had somehow cloaked himself to not be seen until now.

Two older guys in their twenties appeared from around a corner and stood there arms crossed. Three younger boys two of which were the twins Moke and Kovu, Jen's brothers, the third boy looked slightly younger then them and unrelated to any of the others. "Finally do you know how hard it is to get you alone and for Mai not to know what we are up to?" The golden male twin who had been cloaking himself, Max asked him apparently exasperated. "I would apologize but I have the feeling I am not going to like what your going to do." He answers sarcastically; noticing that the other one called Terry was also there he had just been behind Cam up until now.

"You probably aren't going to like this and for that I apologize for but we need to have a talk." Terry says giving him a apologetic smile before Cameron made a grab for him. He dodged out of the way trying to stay out of reach of any of the others. "Two feet to the left and about a foot forward." Max says directing Cam who lunged again. Again Naru dodged getting a better look at Cam's eyes as he did. Cam apparently was blind. He didn't focus on anything despite Naru being just to the side of him.

They repeated this dance a few more times before Bones gave a frustrated huff and strode over cornering Naru between Cam, Terry, Max, and himself with the others surrounding them. He lifted a sword that had appeared in his hand and held it over his head. Naru was for once truly afraid now. This situation had suddenly escalated far out of his control he couldn't do anything without putting his life in danger if he used his PK. Bones brought the sword down over Naru's head and everything went black as pain radiated through his skull.


	11. Chapter 11: A Time for Confessions

**A Time for Confessions**

"Did you have to hit him so hard?He isn't waking up you know." Naru groaned his head aching and throbbing as he came to slowly not bothering to open his eyes yet as he tried to distinguish what was being said and who was speaking. "Well sorry, I tried to make sure not to hit him too hard but at the same time hit him hard enough to knock him out. I did make sure to hit him with the flat of the blade though so he wouldn't get hurt."

Naru still wasn't sure who was speaking although he did know it was a male and a different one from the first who had spoken. "I don't think making sure to use the flat of the blade made much of a difference judging from the pained groan he just made. He still got hurt and now Mai is going to kill us when she finds out." That time it was a third male judging from the different voice that spoke.

He tried to open his eyes only to squeeze them shut again with another groan as what light there was hurt his blurry vision. "If she finds out you mean." A fourth male adds in earning a snort from one of the others. "She will find out one way or another and when she does we are so dead." That was the first one again that much he could tell.

Trying again Naru manged to get his eyes open with not nearly as much pain but he didn't try sitting up yet. "Ohh good he's awake. Now can we get this over with before we are found and die a slow painful death?" Blinking Naru turned his head slowly to look at the speaker. It was Terrance standing there beside Cameron who had been the fourth speaker.

"Hello you okay?" Turning his head again slowly Naru blinked trying to focus on the mass of gold before him as it took shape into the form of Max the first one who had spoken. "What do you think?" Naru asks in a slightly hoarse voice still managing to sound sarcastic. "If he can be sarcastic he's okay." Bones says with a slight smirk turning out to have been the second person to have spoken.

"Might I ask why exactly you hit me?And where exactly I am?"Naru asks slowly shifting himself to prop himself up on his elbows his head still pounding from the blow he had been dealt. "We wished to ask you a few questions relating to Mai without her knowing." Max answers giving him a care free smile that made Naru want to hit him. "You couldn't ask me these questions without knocking me out first?" He asks as he glowered at him.

"Well we planned on just having Cam flash you here and we then could ask you what we wanted but you didn't cooperate so we had to knock you out." Max continued to explain having apparently been nominated to do the talking. "How am I supposed to cooperate if I have no idea what your planning?" Naru shot back with a growl his indigo eyes narrowed as he focused on him. "Mai-chan was right you are a pain to deal with." One of the two older males comments for some strange reason he had stripes on his skin something that puzzled Naru until he saw the ears and tail that belonged to him as well.

"And you are?" Naru asks the tiger guy interested to see that apparently they had members of their group who were cats. This guy appeared to be a white tiger judging from his markings. "Avery, my sister Astra is friends with Jen-chan and the others. I'm friends with this guy here, Kai, who is the older brother of Jen-chan." He says gesturing to the other older male beside him. That actually explained a lot as to how they were involved in all this.

"Alright mind if I ask what are all of you exactly? I figured out you each have magic yourselves and are like Mai in some aspects but no one has said what exactly you are other then hybrids." Naru asks sitting up completely and adjusting his position so he was more comfortable.

If he was going to have to answer whatever questions they wanted to ask he might as well as some of his own."We are Guardians your Mai is the Guardian of Ice and Snow. Each of us are Guardians of some element. Like I'm Illusions and Bones here is Darkness." Max explains settling himself in a crouched position.

"And what are Guardians?" Naru asks deciding he needed to raid this schools library for books on them to learn more if Mai was one now. "Guardians are beings or a role really that has existed since the beginning of time, scientifically speaking we are a distant relative of humans who evolved separate and still have links to our animal heritage and have some how developed the abilities to control different elements." Avery explains leaning against the column in the room.

"But how does Mai who was a normal or relatively normal human become one suddenly?" Kai was the one to speak this time around. "Take my family for example we were born the way we are because of genetic experiments done on our father that failed but carried over to us through our genes and we developed the ability later on to become possible guardians."

"Guardians is a job or a role that a new host or generation is chosen to continue on after the previous one dies. The possibility of becoming a guardian increases if you have some trace of the hybrid blood line or guardian blood line in you in our case it was having both in us. It's all a matter of genetics and if you already have a spark of magic in you." Kai says gesturing to himself and his brothers.

"If that's true then why are there not tons of people who become guardians everyday?" Naru asks again as a scientist he wanted to understand what exactly a guardian was and how they came to be. Terry was the one to answer this time.

"Guardians are chosen by a spirit a spirit who resides with in an object hidden from the normal world and it will only appear if the spirit is drawn to someone who might be suitable for a guardian but it only chooses and approaches those who have just died."

Naru sat upright as he processed what was just said. Mai had said she had died and that made some sense now. "All of us have died and been offered a chance at life again in return for serving the purpose of a Guardian. It means big changes if you were human before but we all took it. Mai took that chance."

"We live new lives now and can never undo it our bodies serve as a host for the power of a guardian until we die our final death then it moves on with the spirit to find a new generation to become a guardian no matter how long it takes." Terry pulled out a key that had hung around his neck.

Everyone in the group except for the youngest boy had a key around their necks. "These keys are what houses the spirit of our element and allows us to unlock the power that now resides in us. We all had to start life over after our deaths and learn how to adapt to the new changes in us."

Bones had said that last part practically glaring at Naru as he said it. "Each of us are a different element by the way and some of us are categorized as light or neutral there is also dark ones but none of us are any and you really don't want to mess with those." Max created a illusionary copy of himself as he spoke.

Bones was gone with in a minute having been standing in a dark patch you couldn't even tell he was there. "Each of us have some of our own special abilities linked to our element and others that are not linked."

The twins Moke and Kovu grinned impishly as their brother listed their powers."Those two trouble makers are the Guardians of Earth and Shadows despite their young age. I'm Lightning." He brushed his hair away from his neck to show a blue lightning bolt mark that shifted and moved across his skin.

"Terry is Souls and Cam is Storms." Max says gesturing to each guy. Avery is Air his sister is Stars by the way while Jen ... Jen you really don't want mess with she is our Alpha even the Pride group listens to her not just us in the Pack. She is also the Guardian of all of Nature."

"I listen to her even." Kai throws in his friend beside him, Avery, just nodded in agreement. "The runt there doesn't have any magic yet he just has the hybrid blood we think he will become a guardian later on. His name is BB by the way stands for Billy Boy. His sister is the only dark guardian among us her name is Raven." BB growled rather quite ferociously at Max who had spoken.

Naru had noticed by now that most of the ones here which was apparently all the males of the group were canine with wolf ear and tail compared to Avery who was a cat. The appearance of spots on the youngest boy had Naru adjusting his observation to include the boy who appeared to be a black jaguar if his spots and ears and tail were anything to be judged from.

Before Naru could ask them another question fascinated by all he had learned so far about them and like a true researcher he wanted to know more about them and how Mai tied in, how she became one of them. "If we don't hurry up we will be discovered and I really don't feel like explaining to my sister why I let this go on this long." Kai interrupts impatiently.

Max sighed standing back up. "I also do not wish to risk my sisters wrath or my mate's so shall we begin? Okay, … Naru? Is that your actual name or is it just a nickname?" He asks directing a curious glance his way. "Mai came up with that but it is similar to what I was called before so its alright I guess.I'm not going to bother wasting the energy to correct it." He says with a sigh getting up onto his feet.

"Okay Naru we wanted to ask you something in relation to Mai. You are aware how she feels about you correct?" Max says getting to the whole point behind bashing him on the head and apparently kidnapping him.

"Yes I am aware that Mai thinks she is in love with me but I have been over this with her and she couldn't answer so the matter is settled." Naru says appearing for all conveniences bored with this turn in the conversation. "We know about your brother Gene." Bones announces earning a rather startled glance from Naru.

"Cam hacked into the computers containing all background info on students including Mai which also included you by default of acquaintance to her. We know you had a identical twin brother named Eugene or Gene and that he was killed. We also know that Gene was somehow attached to Mai and had not moved on and was guiding her through dreams which she mistook for him being you."

Bones says all of this rather calmly with a shrug and a gesture to first Cam and then him. "Mai told the girls this bit, that you asked her if it was you she loved or your brother and she couldn't answer you and you also wouldn't really let her answer."

"Mai knows now." Terry chimes in next moving around in front of him. "All of this change in her life showed Mai who it was, who it is she loves." "Our Onee-chan said that Mai-oneechan said that she loved you." One of the twins adds in he believed it was the shyer one Kovu. "Basically Mai loves you not your brother although I think she loves him differently." Terry says not really helping to clear things up.

"Mai loves me?She is absolutely sure she loves me?"Naru asks in disbelief not entirely sure why he was having a hard time believing it after all he had seen recently especially all in that day nor why he felt so happy inside that she loved him.

"You really are an she loves you and we want to know how you feel about her. She has been through a lot and if you still refuse to even consider recuperating her feelings then we will try and see to that she is happy with someone else. After all Cam and Terry are unmated and single still." Bones comments quite rather calmly

Naru stood up straight shooting daggers at them with his dark gaze. He didn't like the thought of Mai ending up dating someone else let alone one of the two guys here who looked all to happy to take up the chance of being with her.

"Answer us. How do you feel about Mai? Do you like her?" Bones asks again prodding him trying to get a response out of him. Cam walked over arms behind his head like he didn't have a care in the world. "Did you know Mai likes the color Ice Crystal Blue the best? I bet I could find her a necklace or say a ring even with a stone of that color." He murmurs with a sly smile.

"Your blind how do you know what her favorite color is? I knew her before she even met any of you I've known her longer then any of you and understand her more. She tends to go from being scared to depressed and then finds the bright side of things and goes back to being happy again. She can be loud and annoying at other times but truly cares for her friends. If anyone is going to give her anything especially jewelry its going to be me." Naru growls his eyes narrowed at the grinning blond.

"I just love how he knows so much about her don't you?"Max asks Bones with a laugh receiving a smirk in return and leaving Naru to flush and stand there cursing himself. "Fine you wanted an answer here's your answer yes I like Mai she is a very likable girl and she has worked for me for over a year."

"Yes but do you love her? You like her you said that but what you said suggests you like her like a friend or a subordinate. If that were true you wouldn't mind so much if one of these two took her away from you." Bones clarifies gesturing once more to Cam and Terry.

Naru hesitated unsure. He cared for Mai and he stated as much to them but he wasn't sure did he love her or was it just affection he felt. "You say you care for her and you have affection for her but you do not know if you love her?" Bones asks prompting Naru to sigh and agree with him.

"Yes I don't know if I love her or not but you can't just take her away without considering her feelings if she loves me then she has the right to do so and you as her friends should respect her and leave her alone." He snarls rather angrily at them.

Silence filled the chamber even the three younger ones watched on with vivid curiosity and wide eyes, opened eared. Then Avery started to chuckle joined by Kai and soon everyone in the room was laughing their heads off. "Man I didn't expect to get this kind of response out of him I guess he really does love her!"Max crowed hooting and hollering with laughter. The boys even were laughing gleefully joining in on the apparent fun that Naru was rather oblivious to.

"Oh man he really does love her and he doesn't even realize it. Dude you have got to figure yourself out man. If you don't I may just steal her anyways." Terry chortled a wide grin split across his face.

Naru grumbled and growled glaring daggers at all of them. **_"_** ** _It would appear all of you seem to be rather enjoying yourselves. If you are quite finished with your little interrogation Mai is getting very distressed out here and very angry at all of you as well."_** Naru nearly doubled over clutching his head as a female voice filled it. The others apparently heard it too but it didn't seem to affect them as bad although they did flinch at the sound of her voice.

Focusing in on him now the female apologized, ** _"_** ** _Sorry my connection to you is kind of shaky and I have no real way of connecting directly to you like this so I have to project the message to everyone."_** It took him a minute before he recognize who was speaking. "How are you able to talk like this?Max mentioned your power was Nature I do not see how this ties into nature."

Jen laughed in his mind which he quickly realized she could probably read if she was able to speak in his head the way she was. He threw up mental shields he could to block her out. She still manged to get her voice through though.

 ** _"_** ** _Relax I can't read minds that's not my talent. I can only pick up stray thoughts that are open to me or if something is projected at me. My own personal ability and talent is Telepathy that is how I can talk like this. I can also lock onto peoples presences if I focus enough which is how we found you guys."_** She spoke the last part to the group who flinched again.

The door to the room on the far wall flew open having been kicked in by Mai who strode angrily in. "Okay that's it I'm out of here before I get my ears pinned back or worse." Cam says stepping away from everyone hands held up in a defensive position and he was gone in a literally a flash.

"I'm out too." Terry says and his turquoise eyes blazed brightly before he seemed to change into a ball of light and disappear from the room. Avery hung back out of the way. The twins took one look at their sister entering behind Mai and did a disappearing act.

Kovu pulled all the shadows in the room and wrapped himself in them until he literally became a shadow while Moke simply vanished turning invisible. "Some of those are their own special abilities others tie into their magic." Jen says in the way explanation when Naru eyed where those who had left had been.

Bones was attempting to hide in the darkness melting into it but Roxy blazing with light found him and was growling something at him while Max who had tried to cloak himself was found by Zanna who came up through the floor her body see through and wispy much like spirits.

"So those are some examples of their powers at work pretty cool." Ayako comments sliding in past the door that hung on one hinge. When Naru simply looked at her John who had come in behind her was the one to answer.

"Mai and the girls offered up a explanation on what they were exactly to us while we tired to find where they had taken you out we're beneath the center of the school campus in a room designed to hide people they weren't very original with their hiding place it seems especially since this room offers a focus for all energies at work no matter what kind." He says with a good hearted smile.

Mai apparently having calmed down enough now moved towards him a worried look on her face. "Are you okay they didn't hurt you did they?" She asks fretting over him. "They hit me over the head but I'm fine." He assures her.

"Did you have to kick in the door?"Kai asks as he stared at it. The door shifted and lifted up enough on its own as the hinge bent back into shape and fixed back onto the door frame. Monk who had been coming in through the doorway when it happened froze. "How are you doing that? PK?"

"Kai's special ability is telekinesis. These two," Jen grabbed at the invisible forms of the two boys who yelped and appeared with their ears in her grasp. ",These two can vanish at will. Kovu its because of his shadow magic but Moke its just his personal ability. Kovu's ability is to read shadowed or hidden thoughts or feelings by touching someone."

"You guys just get freakier and freakier. " Yasuhara says staring at the boys. "I'll take that as a compliment." Jen mutters dragging her boys out of the room. "Can we leave now we are way late for class if you two are through with your mates?"She calls to Roxy and Zanna and their mates.

Naru nodded to Lin to tell him he was fine as everyone left in the room filed back out through the now fixed doors with Mai still hovering by his side. "What is a mate by the way? You guys keep referring to each of the couples in your group as mates." Monk asks curiously.

"It is probably just a term for being in a relationship or boyfriend/girlfriend." Masako informs him distracting Mai temporarily. "Mates for us is actually more like regular human marriage except there is no such thing as divorce we are bond together for life with the one we choose as our mate." She says stretching her arms over her head.

Naru noticed she had a snowflake key around her neck. The others had said that those keys housed the spirit that guarded the element they were placed in charge of as well as allowed them to unlock the power they held within them.

It made him want to examine it more closely if he got a chance. "Later once your classes are over for the day I want to take a look at your key." He informs Mai figuring she wouldn't mind and let him see hers. She frowned though and appeared reluctant."Why?What do you want it for you can't use it at all it won't work for you."

He frowned back at her deciding to be more persuasive. "I want to take a closer look at it see if I can find out how exactly you can use it to access your full powers and if I can tell anything about the spirit that resides in it." Mai bite her lip shaking her head vigorously." I don't think that is a good idea you really shouldn't mess around with something like this."

He sighed "Mai I'm a scientist investigating things related to spirits is what I do." "Yeah well you aren't investigating this. It's mine and I am not letting you play around with it." She argued right back at him her temper flaring up she gave a tug on the chain the key was on for emphasis.

Monk laughed along with Yasuhara. "There at it again."Ayako comments as John looked on with a resigned smile having grown quite used to the two of them bickering. Mai gave the chain another tug as she continued to argue with him over not being allowed to play with the key as she put it.

The chain let go when she tugged it again causing it to start to fall off from around her neck. "I told you that that clasp was broken." Maharu who stood at the stair case up to the above ground commented when the clasp did in fact let go and her key go plummeting towards the dirt floor. Mai reached to grab it but Naru snagged it first moving quicker.

"Be more careful Mai."He scolds her earning a familiar glare in return as she reached for her key back. Deciding to take the opportunity while he had the chance he swung it higher up out of her reach. "Naru stop being a pain and give back to me."

Naru smirked at her arrogantly quickly using just a touch of his psychometry to try and take a quick glance at it. And for the second time that day he blacked out being sucked in by the power of the key and all the pain and fear attached not just Mai's alone but thousands all the different generations of guardians over time. His body collapsed as he blacked out not only falling to the ground but also the pain and the power that washed over him coming from the key stopped his heart for a second time in over a year. "Naru?Naru?!NARU!"


	12. Chapter 12: A Truth Revealed

**A Truth Revealed**

"Naru?Naru?!NARU!"Mai screams as Naru collapsed to the ground suddenly. He had been fine standing there talking with her or rather arguing with her and then he had caught her key and teasing her about dropping it when all of a sudden he just collapsed.

Lin shoved her out of the way to check on Naru beating on his chest after a minute. A memory flashed in Mai's mind of the last time Lin had had to do that. It was after The Cursed House Case and Naru had exorcised the spirit god using his PK and his heart had stopped because of how much he had used. He had been revived luckily but Lin had done the same thing then as he was doing now.

"Damn it Naru come on."Lin curses struggling to get Naru to come back. "What happened?Why did his heart stop he didn't use his PK at all did he?"Ayako asks crouching beside Lin to examine Naru turning to look at Bones and Max who shook their heads. "He didn't do anything just talked to us."

"He used his psychocometry on that Key."Lin says trying to pry open Naru's hand and remove the Key but he was unable to get so much as a finger to move. Mai sank down beside Naru worried. Was this all her fault? She hadn't wanted Naru to use her key for research because she was afraid he would do just this use his psychochometry and see all that had happened to her.

Tears began to fall from her eyes as she stared at Naru lying there on the ground. "It's not your fault Mai you tried to warn him." Jen murmurs softly placing a hand on her shoulder. "Kai do think you could shock him with some of your lightning to revive him? A defibrillator uses electricity to shock someone's heart into beating again so in sense lightning should do the same thing it worked on you."

Kai knelt down beside them all with a frown."It might I don't know you used magic as well to shock me the lightning part was coincidental. But I can try. Stand clear no one touch him." Lin and Ayako sat back while Mai just knelt there her eyes full of tears hoping against hope that this would work.

Kai built up two small balls of lightning in his hands before placing them on Naru's chest shocking him with them. A blue arc of magic surrounded Naru shielding him from the lightning magic Kai was trying to use.

Kai growled and tried again and the same thing happened. After the third time he sat back shaking his head. "The key is protecting him from any and all magic for some reason.I can't do a thing unless we remove the key."

"It's not going to let any of us touch it let alone try and remove it from where it is; its magic itself after all and you know the way it behaves it is a living thing after all." Roxy comments touching her own key which hung around her neck.

What they said rung in Mai's head over and over again until it suddenly occurred to her. It was HER Key it had to listen to her she was the one who it belonged to the one the contract was made with. The power was in her now and the key just acted as a bridge between the spirit and the magic but she could use the magic with out the spirit and without the key.

Mai blinked a idea having popped in her head. "Stand back I'm going to transform. The key is MINE it has to listen to ME and it has to listen to the words of the spell." She said climbing to her feet a determined look on her face.

Her friends and fellow Guardians got the idea instantly and did as she said stepping away to give her room. "Wait what on earth are you talking about? What do you mean transform? " Ayako asks confused. "And why would the key HAVE to listen to you if its made of magic and magic is alive?" Monk asks her.

Masako moved forward and placed a hand on each of them. "I think Mai has a idea that may save Naru. The key is hers and linked directly to her magic so she can make it obey her. She is the only one who is going to be able to remove the key and get it away from Naru so we can revive him." She says softly staring at each of them hard.

Lin nodded standing up and moving out of the way. "Your right it has to listen to its owner which means Mai has to force it into doing what she wants it to do. That's the only way Naru can be saved." Ayako and Monk looked a little wary but moved out of the way. John and Yasuhara pressed closer but far enough out of the way to not be in her way as they watched her with interest.

Taking a deep breath Mai concentrated on the cool deep pool of magic that dwelled within her. She called up a thick rope of the light blue icy magic pulling it through her body and throwing it toward the key.

"Key that Guards the powers of Ice and Snow hear my plea, under our contract I, Mai, command you, Release!" She shouts out the spell words to transform herself into her true form of the Guardian of Ice and Snow.

A cold icy wind surrounded her tinted with her magic. The key flared with the light of her magic and pulled free of Naru's hand to float in the air in front of her. The wings that had remained folded around the snowflake were now open and the key part that extended down from the snowflake now seemed to emit a thrumming sound.

The key floated there in her palm a minute before Mai closed her eyes and spread her arms wide opening herself to the magic within herself and the key. The key shifted turning so the actual key part faced her and with a glow that throb in time to the thrumming unlocked the full magic within her turning as it entered her body with a click like the unlocking of a door and a flare of bright blue white light erupted forth from her body.

When the light cleared enough for her to be seen she was floating in the air her clothes gone and a mist surrounded her washing over her in waves. A pair of large white with blue tips bird wings slowly arched up out of her back seemingly sprouting through the skin and up settling around her form with a slight pained gasp from her her eyes still closed her arms crossed over her chest.

A pair of white fox ears sprang up from her scalp and a fluffy white fox tail descended from along her spine curling around her bare legs. A wind picked up around her swirling about her frame for a minute.

A frost seemed to cloth itself over her chest and around her hips forming a soft white cloth taking on the form of a band like top and a simple short skirt. The frost glazed over each wrist and hand forming simple finger-less white gloves.

Pale blue icicles formed over the cloth dripping down from the top of each section of the white frost covered cloth. The icicles melted into stripes of cloth that hung along the top just like the actual icicles themselves even the same pale blue shade.

A stormy gray cloud like wisp slithered under the icicle drips of cloth form these gray crinkled stripes that hung curving there way down just past the bottom edge of the white. Her top, skirt and gloves now complete her stomach and midriff exposed still along with most of her legs and her arms.

A silver metal twisted itself up each ankle and foot forming bottomless sandals of sorts. The same metal circled her neck forming a chain from which hung her pendant wings now extended and the bottom key part missing.

On her head sitting between her fox ears the metal formed a small circlet turning into a delicate crown that sat perched on her head snowflake earrings dripping from her human ears half hidden by her hair still hanging in short shoulder length brown waves with the ends frosted in blue and white.

Her eyes opened now full of a power that seemed to brim out of her from within a cool icey blue that also blazed with heat of a different sort. The wind and mist that surrounded her up until that point vanished and she slowly floated to the ground with a gentle smile on her face.

"Holy …" Monk never finished his curse as he watched all this happen to Mai with in the span of less then a minute but what felt like far longer. "I never get tired of watching this." One of Mai's friends comments with a sigh.

Mai moved forward gracefully as she knelt beside Naru's body caressing his cheek softly murmuring a spell under her breath she then breathed a coll mist over him freezing him and encasing him in ice.

Magic pooled in her hands as she placed them over his chest closing her eyes she sent the magic through the ice and into his body with a jolt directly to his heart even as she left her body astral projecting herself out of it and into the Astral Plane.

Opening her eyes in her spiritual form she stood between the being who represented the guardian spirit of her key and Gene himself. "My brother did it again didn't he?" Gene asks with a sigh. Mai gave a irritated sigh. "Of course he did." She answers with a soft growl baring her sharp pointed teeth in a snarl.

"You look nice by the way. Is you being like that why both me and himself over there are here where ever here is." Gene asks peering at Mai eyeing her up and down appreciatively. Mai preened for a second happy with the praise and complements before turning serious.

The being growled at Gene with a huff sitting on his haunches. "Yes it is now can we get on with this so I can go back to sleep?I hate being bothered by you stupid humans and your stupid actions." He growls impatiently.

"Technically I'm no longer human since I'm dead." Gene points out with a slight mischievous grin on his face earning a sharp look from the fox like being. Mai rolled her eyes focusing on the one person she wanted in her mind she settled a hand on the spirits head and the other on Gene's shoulder calling on her magic.

The spirit lifted his muzzle and let out a single note. A form wavered and appeared in front of them before solidifying into Naru or rather his spirit which like his body was frozen by Mai's magic.

"This wil only work once so you had best get him back quick we can not dally here any longer." The spirit informs her gruffly. Mai sighed her heart aching knowing what she had to do. She released Gene and the spirit moving to wrap her arms around Naru laying her head against his chest.

She called on her magic again as she unfroze Naru slowly pulling back his shirt collar enough to gain access to his neck and shoulder she dragged her claws roughly along his skin on the back side of the curve of where his shoulder met his neck earning a startled question of a sound from Naru's twin.

Standing on tip toe wrapping her wings around him to help hold him up as he was unfroze groggily she sank her teeth into the same spot biting him hard with the whispered words. "I claim this man as mine for all of time."

Naru was just shaking his head wincing and reaching for the wound she left and Gene was reaching towards her questioning her actions when everything blurred and faded away. Mai sat or rather knelled still beside Naru back in her body as he groaned opening his eyes confusion in them.

Mai drew her magic back within herself the spell that froze him having vanished when she unfroze him in the astral plane. She sat back dizzily. It had taken a lot of magic to do what she did and left her depleted greatly of magic and strength as well as leaving her heart aching from what she had to do.

Everyone rushed forward questioning what had just happened and helping Naru to sit up. He was still groggy and rather unfocused. Finally everyone was pushed back by Ayako who looked Naru over as he slowly returned to normal.

"Amazing you seem perfectly fine now no signs of any lasting damage at all." She murmurs with a frown sitting back. "How do you feel anyways?" She asked him as he scowled at her in annoyance. "Fine other then my head feeling like its full of cotton balls and my shoulder feeling like its a mix of on fire and frozen in ice."

Mai winced at the last part not meeting his gaze as he turned his indigo eyes towards her taking in her appearance. Ayako pulled his shirt away from the spot in question to look at it her eyes widening at the sight before them.

Marked deep into his skin were what looked like scars or rather were marks. Marks left by a combination of magic and teeth and claws. No blood or any sign of lasting trauma to the area at all other then the marks left in his skin.

"Okay now that is something I have most definitely never seen before."She comments softly. Som eone handed Naru a mirror from where he had no idea but as everyone stared at his shoulder he was growing more irritated by the second wanting to know what had their attention.

He couldn't get a good glimpse of what ever it was from turning and twisting his head. Holding up the mirror he choose to confront Mai about what had happened what he had experienced later for now he wanted to know just what the heck had everyone looking at him the way they were.

He blinked in surprise at the marks left on him that hadn't been there before he gently touched it tracing over them with a finger. They didn't feel like scars and although they still burned and felt like ice mixed they didn't hurt to touch.

"Good Lord!" One of the males of the group of Mai's friends whispered eyes wide as they all looked at him with a strange unreadable look mixed with surprise on their faces. "Are those what I think they are?" One of the females asks softly.

Their leader Jen nodded her eyes serious as they moved between him and Mai. "Yes. Those are mate marks. Mai has claimed him as her mate for life." She answers dropping that bombshell on all of them.

A conversation from earlier floated through Naru's mind. He had questioned one of the guys when they had abducted him for their own little questioning what they meant when they talked about their respective females being their mates.

"We mate for choose one person whether they are guardian or hybrid or not and we mark them. Once mated the two are bond together for life. For us mating is like human marriage but there is no divorce." Bones explained rather gruffly.


	13. Chapter 13: Death Awaits

**Death Awaits**

"Is there anyway to undo the mating?" Lin asks as they all sat around in the base. "Well yes but it means the death of the one who marked them." Roxy says with a grimace. "That's out I don't feel like testing it to see if Mai can come back yet again." Monk puts in right away holding up a hand to stop anyone from saying anything about that idea.

"Besides death is there any other way?" Lin asks again looking around at the other Guardians to see if any had a idea or some proposal they could try. Everyone was shaking there heads. "Once a mating is complete nothing can undo it. A incomplete mating death sometimes breaks it there have been cases where the human mate has been known to survive it but other then that no it's unheard of to break a mating. Well almost unheard of." Zanna explains casting a glance at Jen who sighed.

"Would you explain what she meant, please?" Masako asked politely to her. Jen sighed still frowning before explaining. "I had a mate. But things didn't work out we broke up and got unmated or rather we basically got a divorce. I rarely see him anymore." She says with another sigh. "Wait I thought you couldn't unmate someone without dying?" Yasuhara asks confused.

"Well technically yes under normal circumstances you can't unmate someone period but my case was special most matings occur between two guardians or a guardian and a human but not in my case. I was mated to a supernatural being. This has been known to happen before but in my case it was different. For those who choose a supernatural being as their mate most posses a human form they were born in and then they posses another form or some kind of power or such. Them being born in the human form is what makes the mating unbreakable but for me I was mated to a guy who while he did posses a human form he was not born in it." She explains to them

This earned her some more confused questioning looks. She sighed again, "Itoma was or rather still is a Griffin." Silence followed that statement as just about everyone from SPR stared at her. "He was really sweet and everything it's just well we discovered we didn't entirely match very well with each other as time went on. I broke things off with him and unmated him. Since he wasn't born in the human form he possessed it was possible. Mainly since in a mating a piece of each soul is exchanged that is what forms the bond."

"Wow so your saying that Naru has a piece of Mai's soul within him and she has a piece of his?" Ayako asks casting a look between the two in question. Mai shifted uncomfortably in her seat looking down. She was still in her true form and had yet to change back despite having mentioned when she first tried to get up and failed that she was exhausted from using all the magic she had used all at once the way she did. Apparently staying like that also depleted her magic more but she didn't seem inclined to change back.

"Yes and No." Zanna replied. "Mai hasn't done the soul exchange yet. Some of Mai's magic resides within the marks as well as a piece of Mai's soul. But until Naru accepts Mai as his mate His soul is still intact and the piece of Mai's soul will not move to fill in the gap left just as a piece of his would fill in the gap in hers."

"There isn't a way to undo the mating with out Mai dying but what about something else I mean he hasn't said he accepts or yet or anything?" Monk asks scratching his head. "If Naru were to deny Mai as his mate then the mate marks would be erased from him and her connection would break."

One of the other guardians put in but cut off Monk when he started to look hopeful. "To deny her as his mate would result in the piece of her soul disappearing along with the marks leaving a empty hole that can never be filled. To deny her would result in her being left incomplete and weak and never again able to find a mate. Many soon die after being denied. They die and can not move on their soul is incomplete."

Terry spoke next. "You see for us a Guardians soul goes into the key after death. A guardian is a being that has existed since the beginning of time itself or rather the role of being a Guardian. The role is passed down through the generations of time starting all the way back to the very first Guardian who wasn't even human. It's only been recently that Guardians were humans and have continued to be humans due to the small spark of magic many posses hidden away with in them."

"I'm the Guardian of Souls and I can not escort a incomplete soul on to the next realm. Mai's soul would be incomplete it would not be able to cross over and it wouldn't go into the key like the thousands of guardians previous. All their souls reside with in the key but an incomplete soul can not and would be trapped here in this realm forever."

Using his magic Terry made it so all the souls that resided with in each and every key were visible. Each key had a set color for the souls that resided with in and each soul was a different shade of the set color. Yasuhara eyed all the little dots clustered within each key. "How many are there exactly? Each one seems to have too many to count yet all these were someone at one point in time?" He asks poking at a key earning a hiss from the owner.

"We don't know for sure how many but yes these lights are the souls of previous guardians who came before us each stretching back all the way to the very beginning of everything. We know the original and sometimes we meet the recent pasts but we don't know every one who came before us there are thousands if not more too many to count and too many to try and contact each and every one."

Terry explains his key having fewer lights then some of the others such as Jen who had so many you couldn't even see any part of the key itself it was so covered, filled, consumed by the lights of the souls within. "If Mai were to die after being denied her soul would be lost unable to return to the key and unable to move on."

Silence filled the room making many of the teenagers uncomfortable as the heavy weight of the quietness settled in making many find some reason or another to find a way to leave making a quick escape the light from the keys dimming until it went out each soul no longer visible to the naked eye.

Lin met Mai's gaze trapping it with his own making her want to duck her head but she didn't she kept her gaze level with his knowing that she had trapped Naru in this situation and was solely to blame for all of it Naru dying, him even being here and of course him holding the responsibility of her life and soul in his hands. "We can not allow Mai to die but we can not allow this to continue on either something must be done to find a solution to this situation."

There was silence once more and Mai was finally able to break away from the intense gaze of the older man. Her heart felt heavy and she felt like she was being forced into a corner because of her actions and wished deep down with in her that she hadn't survived the attack that she had chosen to stand along side Gene in death instead of Naru in life.

Lin was the one to speak again seemingly the only one focusing on the issue at hand and willing to cut through everything to find a solution for the problem. "If Naru chooses to deny Mai as his mate then she could eventually die. And there is no way to undo the mating with out her dying. But what would happen if Naru didn't deny Mai but also didn't accept her?"

All the teenagers in the room were silent again looking at one another before turning their attention to their alpha who simply rolled her eyes at them having been nominated to speak. "We don't know for sure since nothing like this has ever happened to a Guardian before. Usually the one marked either denies them which they do tend to die later from or they accept them."

"There has been a few incidences in which the guardian died before an answer could be given after having been asked for some time to think. I suppose nothing would happen while he is mark he isn't considered her full mate until he accepts and they exchange souls. His soul is still whole and Mai can survive with her soul as it is." She says with a frustrated sigh.

"Why do I feel like they are choosing to simply ignore the entire situation and hope it goes away on its own?" Avery murmurs to his friend beside him. "Considering its this guy we are talking about it doesn't surprise me at all. He seems the type to keep silent and ignore something that bothers him until it disappears and no longer presents a problem." Kai murmurs back softly in return.

Their sisters growled at them elbowing them having heard what they said as well as all the others with superior hearing in the room. Tears filled Mai's eyes causing her to duck her head down so her hair hid her eyes so no one would see her crying. The humans not having heard what was said continued on.

"That will be what we will have to do until a proper solution can be found at a later date." Lin said rising to his feet Naru not saying anything not even looking at Mai just sat their seemingly ignoring everyone and everything around him. Mai's ear were flat against her skull and her head kept low acknowledging Naru's silence.

The bell rang signaling the end of classes for the day. All the students who went to the school in the room got up and left to go collect their missed assignments from their teachers filing out of the room as quickly as possible while those of SPR got up to go do their own thing to continue with the case.

Mai was the last of her friends to leave. Trying to shuffle out the door unnoticed. Naru grabbed her as she tried to slip past. "I need to talk to you."He says"Not about the mating"He adds seeing the flash of panic in her eyes still bright with unshed tears that caused his chest to hurt knowing he put them there.

"He dragged her down the hall with him until he found an empty room pushing her in and locking the door behind them. He shoved her onto a box that could be used as a seat leaning against the edge of a dusty old teachers desk. The room he had chosen was apparently a storage room filled with little used junk.

"Mai I saw you die when I touched your key. Not just you I saw thousands of guardians before you die as well. I saw what you saw I felt what you felt and yet I was detached from it all at the same time." Naru says keeping his eyes focused on the girl in front of him. She seemed to not know what to say or how to react to this other then for all the pain she had been hiding to suddenly spill over in her eyes in the form of tears.

He knelt in front of her wiping away some of her tears gently feeling it was the least he could do after having caused them to appear. "Mai I need you to tell me something. What happened to you? What caused you to die exactly. I witnessed and felt your death but I couldn't see anything before that. How did you end up in that water how exactly did you end up so badly hurt? Mai I need to know what happened to you?"


	14. Chapter 14: New Friends, New Enemies

**New Friends, New Enemies**

The crushing weight of all the memories that were attached to the key surrounded him suffocating him till he felt like he could no longer breathe let alone sort through any of them. Then he was in the water or rather Mai was she was covered in wounds. He could feel the sting and throbbing pain from each one she was drowning he was drowning.

He could feel each and everything she felt but was somehow detached from it all. It hurt everything he was feeling hurt. He felt Mai slipping away as she drowned and bled to death. He could feel himself slipping away along with her. just as she finally slipped into death and he caught a glimpse of what was to come next Gene standing there waiting, everything changed.

It burned so bad. his fur was burning what was left of it anyways. He was on fire and there was no where to go to get to safety no place that was untouched by the flames that surrounded him. He didn't recognize his surroundings at all everything was so different. Nothing looked like anything from his world the world he was used to.

The flames raged on burning down to his skin earning a long pained yowl from him as he struggled to move struggled to get to the others. They were there just out of reach who they were he didn't know only that they were his friends someone he would recognize just at the sight of them no matter what they looked like.

He tripped as the flames bite through skin into muscle crackling as it ate away at him his paws not wanting to move him those final few feet to those he cared for some of the only ones he did. He was Ice. He was Snow. He felt nothing except for the cold. Except for when he was with them. A chance meeting had brought them together and now all he wished for was to leave with them.

He collapsed along side them as he gave one last pained whimper his eyes glazing over locked on the sight of the two lying there on the ground that was quickly turning to ash their fur burned away much like his skin a charred mess what was left of it and muscle and tissue melting away from their bones. His body changed one last time a long narrow paw with longer toes that could bend stretched out brushing the strange paws of the others as they too changed forms for the very last time.

Connected at last he gave in to the darkness that consumed him a faint bit of happiness left in him at being able to stay with his friends in their last moments promising them silently that they would never be apart. A image floated in his mind as he sank into death.

It was a female unlike any other he had ever met he wanted her to also remain by his side and had marked her but she had yet to give him an answer. His one regret was he would never know how she felt as she wished to leave things as they were not denying him but not accepting him.

And then he was gone settling into a inky darkness that was cold but comfortable. Years passed with him in the darkness before he was drawn out by spark. Another being similar to him but female this time was dying. But the spark within them shone bright. He knew what he must do. It was time to pass the power on. The world need him. It needed his role and now it was time for it to continue on in a new being.

Time after time he chose someone new after the old passed and joined him. Sometimes another would join with the old. A mate that made him long to go back to his time and find his female, his mate and find out her answer. Death was constant he felt dull to the pain of it but the one watching feeling as he was seeing as he was, was not. He felt it all he was drowning in it.

It hurt the man, the boy, the one who held a connection to the newest one in the long line of those who held the role he had. After finally stopping at the newest one's death and rebirth he gently nudged the boy into his own inky darkness to keep him from experiencing anymore. The girl who was the current called him forth to her side to aid her in a task.

He went to her holding affection for this one. She had spunk. He liked her she taught him so many new things and he was reunited with his friends once more thanks to her. Even if she had brought that brat along with her the one who looked like the one who had just been riding on his memories. The other boy kept him occupied with keeping him out of their past and staying beside her at all times in case she needed him.

He no longer had time to sleep or rest in the quiet cool darkness he was constantly active training the girl keeping an eye on her and the two who held the roles his friends had long ago. He had sent the other boy into her dreams to keep her from experiencing too much pain at the memory of her death.

He may be cold but he had a heart and a soft spot when it came to her. She looked alot like his female in her fox form making him wistful for times long past. The girl choose to save the boy who had been watching using her link with the other one and him to draw him forth to her side before marking him claiming him to keep him from slipping back into the darkness once more.

Anchoring him to her side with her soul putting everything on the line for this one lad. He could understand that need to have them by their side he just didn't understand her choice but that wasn't any of his business nor something he was interested in. He left her to sort things out on her own as she needed to. He had no business interfering with her choice she now had to deal the the consequences of her actions just as all before her.

He sat there head tilted to one side watching the girl as she took the boy with her into her past. She couldn't control him seeing her past but she could control what he saw of her death. She showed him how she ended up in the ocean to begin with starting with her run in with her two friends his old friends.

 _Mai groaned as she trudged back towards her apartment after another long day at work. She had gone straight to the office after school which had been just as long as work had been. She had a test in not one not two but three classes and she was pretty sure she had bombed at least one if not all of them. She hadn't slept well last night she kept having these strange dreams._

 _She had dreamed that she was drowning but then it flashed to her talking and laughing with two others. She had no idea who they were she couldn't make out what they looked like but she knew they were familiar to her somehow. She had felt restless after that dream and couldn't get back to sleep not without her plunging into the cold water over and over again._

 _She had nearly fallen asleep multiple times in class throughout the day and was exhausted by the time she got to work. Naru had her running wild too. Between making him tea constantly going through each and every case that was presented to them by a client. There had seemed to be an endless stream of clients in the office today. Mai had to listen to so many stories it still hurt just remembering._

 _Some had tragic pasts connected to them others had tragic things happen as a result. But either way she was both physically and emotionally exhausted by that point. Naru hadn't taken on a single case either. Claiming none of the ones presented interested him making her wish to hit him which she may or may not have expressed her desire to do so to him._

 _His response wasn't the best either he told her she would be out of a job if she did or rather if she thought she could even hit him. He also commented on her appearance stating she looked horrible. She said she didn't sleep last night and told him about her dream but he brushed it off saying she had read or watched something that had given her a nightmare was all._

 _She had gotten angry at him for that and yelled at him saying she hadn't slept so she wasn't in a very good mood to begin with and then she had three tests to take all of which she felt completely lost on and was pretty sure she had failed all of them putting her in a even less then desirable mood and he wasn't helping at all but rather driving her insane._

 _She also said she didn't know why she liked him when he was such an ass at times and she would quit the job if she could. His response was to simply state that she was free to quit if she wished but not to go yelling at him just because she was a little emotional because she was on her period. That had been the final straw she had screamed her frustration with him and threw all the papers he had on his desk at him and stormed out forgetting her coat as she did so._

 _She had stormed out past Lin who had jumped up to see what the commotion was about concerned when she had screamed and brushed past Monk who was coming in the door as she was leaving. He looked confused as he watched her storm away. She really wished she hadn't done what she did but Naru had it coming to him with the way he had been acting._

 _She groaned as she slowly made her way home. She had taken a wrong turn somewhere along the way and was now taking a much longer route back home that took her along the harbor. Being near the water after her dream last night made her anxious but as long as she kept to the far side of the street she was good. She paused as she spotted a girl sitting on the stairs leading down to the water._

 _The girl seemed familiar somehow. She also seemed to be kind of depressed while she sang a strange song about demons and princesses. Mai hesitated before walking over to her and sitting down beside her deciding that maybe they could be depressed together. The girl looked at her startled a minute before Mai gave her a weak smile that the girl returned with her own version of it._

 _"Sorry for intruding it's just you seemed kind of lonely and depressed and after the day I've had I thought maybe you could use a friend just as much as I could." She says with a sigh leaning back on her hands her head tilted back letting the cool ocean breeze blow across her face. "I'm Mai what's your name?" The girl rested her head in her hands her elbows perched on her knees. "My name is Maharu, it's nice to meet you. And yeah I could kind of use a friend right now. I haven't had the best day either."_

 _"Want to talk about it?" Mai asks tilting her head to one side to look at the blonde haired girl. Maharu sighed sounding just as tired as Mai felt. "I have always had this strange kind of luck that rubs off onto people but leaves me with all the bad luck. Well at school today a group was whispering about it to one another and they kind of called me a freak because of it. Even my friends were kind of acting distant towards me because of the rumor that was going around."_

 _"Ouch I know what it's like to be different believe me but that's just going to far." Mai winces in sympathy wrapping an arm around her. "I don't have any parents so I have basically been on my own for some time which can be rough and makes you different from other students add in the company I tend to keep with the people I work with and that doesn't help anything." Mai tells her as the other girl leaned into her embrace._

 _Maharu gave her a sweet smile as she laughed softly. "You know we are pretty similar I don't have any parents either I was living with my aunt but moved out to go live with some friends. The people I live with are a strange bunch but I like them they care about me and they need me so I'm happy. There was a time where I ran away to go back to my aunts house but I quickly made up my mind that no matter how hard it was I was going to tough it out."_

 _The two girls grinned at each other as they leaned on each other having quickly become fast friends even if they had omitted a few important details of their lives. They turned with a curious glance to peer towards the street where another girl had been walking past or rather running past and had tripped. She had a hand made bag that was now lying on the ground it's contents spilled across the ground._

 _Both girls got up to go help her one offering her a hand as the other help gather up the fabric, thread, needles and more that lay scattered across the ground. "Are you okay?" Maharu asked as Mai finished gathering everything up sucking on her thumb after pricking herself on a needle. The other girl sat up rubbing her face where she had hit the pavement._

 _"Yeah thanks." Maharu pulled her to her feet while Mai scooped up her bag dumping her arm load of things back into it. "You got to be careful this area isn't very even so it's very easy to trip. I know I'm often down here." Maharu tells the girl as she shoved some strands of her long hair out of her face grabbing her bag when Mai offered it to her._

 _"Yeah I was in a rush so I wasn't paying attention. I took a wrong turn and now I have to wrap all the way back around to get to the shop." She says dusting off her skirt. "Are you a seamstress?" Mai asks nodding towards the girls bag. "Yes and no I work in a dress shop and I make my own bags and other things I just really like to sew." "That's cool I'm not very good at sewing according to Naru I'm not very good at a lot of things so... yeah." Mai says rubbing the back of her head._

 _"I'm okay at sewing but I'm not all that special when it comes to that."Maharu says giving the new girl s friendly smile. "I'm Maharu and this is Mai." She says introducing them to her. "I'm Aghea it's nice to meet you." The new girl says returning the friendly smile and extending a hand. Both girls shook her hand before all three settled back onto the steps to talk having completely forgotten they had all been going somewhere before they ran into each other._

 _"So then Mai who is this jerk Naru who say's your not very good at anything?" Aghea asks with a mischievous grin that hinted at a bit of a dark streak in her. Mai sighed before launching into an explanation as to who he was. "He is my boss and the guy I like he is only like a year older then me but he can be such a jerk at times and so full of him self that's while I call him Naru." She continued on explaining how she came to name him Naru and what all had happened to her that day because of him._

 _Both girls were furious by the time she was done calling him a jerk and an ass those being the least worse of the names they came up with. "That guy deserved what he got if not more." Aghea threatens angrily with Maharu nodding her agreement. The girls continued on talking with each other getting to know one another more as they did. Aghea had both her parents but she had a bit of a sister complex when it came to her star older sister wanting to be just like her._

 _Aghea was very witty and loved to express herself through sewing while Maharu was on the swim team at school because the water had a soothing affect on her and she worked in the restaurant she lived above. Mai didn't really know what her special talent was she wasn't in any clubs and she wasn't a part of any groups really other then SPR which she did go into details explaining to her new friends about her job._

 _The three where so deep in conversation they didn't see the storm clouds gathering both figuratively and literally. They didn't hear or see the massive truck pull up behind them and the men get out nor did they sense the danger they were in until it was too late. "Well well well what do we have here?" One of the men who had climbed out of the truck sneers._

 _"Looks to me like we have ourselves three little demon chicks." Another laughs pulling a large knife out of his pocket and flashing it at them when they turned startled by the sound of people near them. It was then that Mai's dream flashed into her mind in crystal clear clarity she was by water with two other girls who felt familiar to her and they were in danger surrounded by those who posed a threat to them. If everything happened like it did in her dream Mai knew they wouldn't be making it out of here alive._


	15. Chapter 15: From Out of the Darkness

**From Out of the Darkness**

"How do you feel?"Mai asks leaning over a sprawled Naru. "Like my head is going to split." He growls up at her. "Yeah sorry it has that affect on people not much I can do about it." She says Jokul the spirit and first Guardian sat beside her eyes narrowed. "I offered to freeze your head so you wouldn't feel anything but she denied me the pleasure of silencing that smart mouth of yours."

Naru returned the creatures look with on of his own. "I only saw part of what happened that doesn't explain how you ended up **in** the water only near the water." Naru growls or at least gave a pretty good impression of a growl. "I would show you the rest but I don't think that is a good idea at the moment. You collapsed when I let you use your psychometry on me and let you witness part of what lead up to me dying. And by the way you were a jerk that day. I still remember and still haven't forgiven you until I get a apology." She says with a huff crossing her arms.

He gave her a look clearly telling her his thoughts on her priorities. "My mind, my memories I can deny you access all together I'm learning some new tricks to strengthen my mind I'll have you know." She says turning her nose up at him with a pretty good impression of disdain on her face. A laugh behind her had her turning and throwing herself on the person with a shriek giving them a hug and kiss. "Gene!"

Naru stared at his twin in astonishment. His head was still spinning from what he had seen but if Mai was seeing him too then he wasn't hallucinating from the after affects of using his psychometry on Mai and her key. He blinked squeezing his eyes shut and rubbing his head to try and focus better.

Opening his eyes again it was then he realized that they weren't back in the school yet but rather in the astral plane. That explained so much more now. But he was still left wondering how his twin had remained still in this world when Mai had died. They had determined a while back that he had been staying behind to guide Mai and get in contact with him but for some reason he had been unable to cross over after everything was resolved.

His connection to Mai was what kept him tied to her. But Mai's death should have cut all ties and forced him on along with her. Somehow her being revived as the new guardian had also kept Gene here. He was still puzzling over how his twin was still here when it hit him that Mai was very friendly towards him and had acted excited and happy to see him; even hugging him and giving him a kiss even if it was just on the cheek.

For some reason he didn't like the thought of Mai hugging another male even if it was his brother and Gene was dead it still aggravated him for some reason he cared not to closely examine. Mai let go of Gene finally who also let go of her having wrapped his arms around her with a good natured laugh when she threw herself on him.

"Hey there idiot scientist missed me?" He asks in a teasing tone that had Naru gritting his teeth he always hated it when his brother liked to tease him so much and it appeared death had not changed him much. "I've been too busy to miss an idiot like you." Naru retorts causing Mai to roll her eyes at him. The two brothers started to banter back and forth with each other for a bit Gene giving this big smile the entire time.

Mai sat down on the floor of light that was under their feet watching them go back and forth with Gene teasing his brother much to his dismay and Naru firing back with smart ass remarks. Jokul turned his head following them back and forth for a bit before commenting to the girl. "These two are noisier together then apart. I don't like it."

Mai gave a giggle petting the creature on the head. "I've never seen them together before but this is somewhat interesting to watch. Annoying but interesting." After a while of watching the twins go at it Mai yawned and stretched climbing to her feet. "Okay that's enough. Eugene! Oliver! Enough the two of you!" She snaps with a clap of her hands her face serious.

The two looked at her a little leery. It was Naru who spoke first. "You are far to young to sound like our mother." He states eyeing her wary now that she had suddenly turned serious. "She does do a pretty good impression though." Gene comments. "Okay you," She says pointing a finger at Gene. "You are decidedly unhelpful at helping us figure out what's going on here so I can get this idiot out of here before he finds some new way of getting himself killed or worse getting me expelled."

Gene blinked at the stern tone and finger pointed in his direction from the sweet natured Mai he was used to. "And you!" She turns to Naru baring her teeth at him. "You need to stop investigating places and things where you don't belong I can't keep bring you back one of these days your going to get yourself killed for good and I won't be able to bring you back or I won't even be there to try."

Naru for once didn't smirk at her when she turned her temper on him for once arguing with her didn't amuse him. He unconsciously rubbed the mate marks she had left on him knowing she was right he was going to get himself killed for good one of these days especially here at the school where magic was real and everywhere.

"I told you Mai, your more involved in this then you think. That's all I can tell you right now you have to figure out the rest for yourself. I will offer you this advice though do not listen to what is said around you listen to what is said inside you. " Gene says giving his brother a pat on the shoulder and a nod to her with a serious look before disappearing.

"Well that was helpful." Mai growls turning towards Jokul who just shook his head and also vanished. Naru stood there thinking about what his brother said. Mai was more involved then she thought. That seemed to strike a cord in his memory he also had thought something similar. Mai was involved in all of this somehow he just had to figure out how. He had started at the beginning but now it was time to move forward.

"Mai when we get back to our bodies I need you to walk me through where you were when the second incident happened and what you were thinking, feeling and sensing. I then need you to show me where the other incidents took place. Something about what Gene said has me thinking." He says with a frown stuffing his hands in his pockets so he could think.

His fingers found the snowflake Mai had made and had given him through one of the her friend's brothers. He turned it over in his hand tracing the etchings in it as he thought it served as a good tool for him to fiddle with while thinking. Mai stood there with a frown on her face as she too thought over what her spirit friend had said.

Naru blinked shaking his head deciding to think things over later when he was back in his own body again and could sit down with a cup of tea and really concentrate on sorting everything out. "Mai how is it that my brother still lingers here?" He asks turning towards her. Mai shook herself out of her daze at his words.

"Oh Gene was there at the border when I died but I accepted to become the next Guardian instead of dying. I traded my life for one in service to the power and responsibility of being a Guardian if it meant another chance at life another chance to see you." She says giving him this sweet loving smile that made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

"I told him that maybe we could still stay together I wasn't sure what would happen to him without me as his tie to the living world. I was afraid he might get trapped in a limbo or not be able to cross over at all never being able to move on. Jokul, the spirit of my key, the very first Guardian of my element, bond him to me though. He bond Gene to me so that Gene is protected from the affects of lingering for too long in this world and he now serves as my official spirit guide. I think eventually he may even be able to move on with some help from my friends." Mai says that same smile still on her face.

After a while Mai finally manged to return both herself and Naru back to their bodies. It took a while and some practice but Mai finally figured out how to let herself fall back into her body and take him with her since she was the one who had brought him there after he had witnessed the events leading up to her death or rather part of the events.

Naru opened his eyes blinking and trying to get his bearings his head still spinning from the abruptness of being dropped into his body after being in the astral plane as well as the effects using his psychometry. He discovered that Mai was sitting down on the floor and she had his head resting in her lap as he lay sprawled on the floor beside her.

If the sunlight coming through the window was anything to judge by then they had been gone a while the sun had been higher in the sky when they had left then it was now. The sun was already beginning its descent from the evening sky letting golden light spill in through the windows casting long shadows across the floor that blanketed them in their cool darkness.

His attention turned to the shadows noting a small group of shadows that could only be cast by a person stretching out across the far wall. He lifted his head up propping himself up on his elbow as his eyesight adjusted itself. Mai stretched her arms over her head with a groan stiff from sitting like that for so long. Naru sat up fully finally taking in the sight of a few of Mai's friends standing there watching them with big grins on their faces and their phones in their hands taking pictures.

Mai's roommates were there and so were three others the top three wolf girls of the pack, Jen, Roxy and Zanna. All of them were trying to restrain their giggles and hide their grins as they continued to take pictures of them using their phones. Naru glared at them but that didn't do anything to stop them other then make them bite their lips to hold back their giggling.

Mai seemed to finally register what was going on around her and let out an indigent shriek jumping to her feet and giving chase after her friends as they turned and dashed out of the room their laughter and Mai's shrieks echoed down the hall as the five girls tried to avoid the sixth one running after them chasing them through the school to get their phones from them so as to delete the evidence they contained.

Naru got to his feet calmly heading back towards the base ignoring the fading echoes of the girls footsteps and their shrieks and laughter ignoring the two males of the pack who slid out of the shadows in the hall and walked beside him. Noting that while one was Bones one of the top males in the pack the other was Kovu the alpha's younger brother.

He entered the base noting the two of the other younger boys from the group the cat boy Billy who was a black jaguar and a new boy skinnier then the others and smaller who looked as if he had been through a lot but was beginning life anew. He evicted the fourth of the younger boys Moke out of his chair sitting down to think still ignoring the small group of males who filled the empty room.


	16. Chapter 16: The Cavalry Has Arrived!

**The Cavalry Has Arrived!**

Naru sat in his chair thinking and drinking a cup of tea made by the new boy Tobe, his name was actually Tobias but he went by Tobe, the boy was very good at doing the little tasks Naru set for him such as organizing all the acquired incident reports and witness statements into several different piles after making copies of them, making him tea and fetching him something to eat as well.

According to the boy he was used to this sort of work seeing as how he did all of it for the girl he called Milady. Tobe was interestingly enough not from this world but another one or rather another dimension as was his Milady. The world he was from was still back in Renaissance times and he had been a indentured servant to a small time inn keeper who treated him horribly.

The boy was covered in old wounds and still looked malnourished despite having been in his Milady's care for some time now. He could somewhat read and he could write some as well none of which he had been taught before. His Milady had apparently been riding through and had stopped for the night at the inn.

The boy had gotten into trouble and chose to hide in the stables away from his owner. He of course chose to hide in the stall containing his Milady's war horse, a large temperamental creature who did not like people except for his rider. The boy was accepted by the horse though and didn't touch him. When the inn keeper tried to pull the boy out Milady had stopped him and took up an issue over the boy's treatment ending with her purchasing his contract.

Milady cleaned the boy up having his wounds treated and heal and was training him as her page he ran errands for her and took care of her horse and equipment. she fed him kept him clean and as warm and dry as possible and gave him a cot to sleep on instead of a pallet. She was teaching him to read and write and when she had come to this school she had brought him along and enrolled him.

He was much better at reading and writing and his grammar was getting better. The boy talked about his Milady a lot when Naru asked him how he knew so much about doing these small errands for someone his size and age. The boy had yet to actually say what his Milady's name was so Naru just decided to stick with the Milady thing figuring if the girl was from Renaissance times and could afford a horse and a servant she was most likely a nobles daughter so the title suited her.

Tobe was the quietest and most obedient of the four boys the other three liked to get into mischief leading him to giving them the task of listening to audio for anything they might find unusual and make notes about it while he kept Tobe to running small errands for him. Lin had come back and had simply raised a brow at the guard detail that had been placed on him that seemed to consist of young boys with too much time on their hands.

Naru shifted through his thoughts focusing on what Gene said. He was beginning to wonder if Mai was not partially behind what was going on much like the very first case they worked on together when shrieks came from down the hall leading to the three boys left in the room to jump to their feet ears and tails out growling.

Naru and Lin raced to the door throwing it open and scanning the halls on either side for the source of the screaming. The boys were right behind them on alert and ready to attack. Naru wasn't going to bother wondering if they could do any damage they had animal instincts apparently and teeth and claws to use. Down the hall on the left they spotted the source of the screaming,

Ayako, Masako and four girls from Mai's group of friends were being attacked by chairs and books as well as other small items that were coming from a near by classroom. The doors to the room slammed open and shut over and over again and when they reopened more items would come flying out to attack them. The women were trying to cover their heads against the bombardment of school supplies the best they could.

Ayako finally getting an opening tried using the Nine Cuts but it didn't seem to have much affect on the attack as more class rooms around the area began to open and things came flying out from their. Even the rooms beside the base on either side were beginning to be affected the base however itself was left untouched. Naru didn't have time to figure out why as Lin dragged him back into the room as things went flying towards them as well.

"Milady!" A cry came from further down the hall on the right. Tobe stood there eyes wide trembling watching the chaos around him. One of the girls who was Mai's friend lifted her head at his cry. "Tobe! Get out of here quick!" She yells panicking at him being so close to everything. Before the boy could move though it was already to late seemingly as if it sensed the boy was there some of the items closest to him turned and flew at him.

The girl who had called out to him gave an angry ear splitting yowl and literally burst into flames incinerating all the items around her that were attacking her. She drove her way through the hall towards him determined to protect the boy who was being bombarded himself now. The boy gave a small cry throwing up his hands to protect himself.

A small grid of fire appeared before the boy from his outstretched hands burning and slowing down the attack just enough for him to duck down under the rest of the items and scurry forward towards the girl who finally manged to get far enough down the hall that she reached right in front of the base. She grabbed the child pulling him close to her side and increased her flames burning them higher and hotter to protect her and the boy from the attack.

She spotted the open door of the base and saw that it was safe nothing was entering the room nor was anything leaving the room. Grabbing the boy she literally tossed him into the room through the open doorway. Lin manged to catch him before he hit the floor and set him down gently before moving back towards the door to see what was going on further down the hall where the others still were.

One girl had water surrounding her hands and was using it to slash at the things attacking her; using self defense methods to block the attacks at the same time. One had a fencing sword, a rapier, in hand and was using it to block and parry the blows delivered by smaller items that attacked her. Another seemed to be forming a shield of some kind around them all starting with Ayako and Masako.

Rain slashed at the windows of the hall and lightning cracked across the sky adding to the atmosphere of the whole scene. The one girls shield was up now a dark bubble of magic with what looked like the night sky swirling in the depths of it. The other two were still outside the bubble though and were apparently cutting their way through the attack the best they could clearing a path of sorts towards the base.

The one who Tobe had called Milady still stood in front of the base using what appeared to be some sort of pattern dance method to burn everything that got to close to her flames that didn't seem to bother her at all or even affect her clothes. She was busy keeping the area in front of the base clear of the attacking objects. One of the boys, Kovu slide out into the hall before anyone could stop him.

Lin tried to reach out and drag him back in but his hand slide right through the boy as if he were made out of shadows as the boy wrapped himself up tightly with all the shadows he could find. Naru leaned out trying to grab a hold of the child but he too could not get a grip on him. It was then he remembered that the boy could literally turn himself into a shadow with his powers.

The boy shadowed as he was moved through the flying debris easily sliding down the hall and around the corner taking off running as soon as he was free of the attack area. Naru hoped the boy was going to get help from one of the others since nothing should any signs of stopping any time soon and they were stuck in the base the only safe zone in this battlefield.

The other girls manged to finally make their way to the base. The bubble dissolved as the one who had cast it shoved the two humans through it. The four girls formed a defense line across the doorway. Each pulled their key off from around their necks and began to say the words of the spell that would allow them to transform. Each called out their elements name as well as their own name starting with the one who had formed the shield.

Her element was Night and her name was Raven, the next was the one who had held the rapier which was gone now. Her name was Astra the sister to the older male Avery and her element was Stars. The next was the water wielder. Her element was Water and her name was Alyanne. Finally it was the girl Tobe called Milady whose flames had finally receded temporarily. Her name was Kela and her element was strangely enough Rebirth.

Each girl transformed themselves into their true form each now had wings of various colors and cat ears and tails. The girl Raven was different from the rest of her friends though, in the fact that her wings were not bird wings but bat wings instead. Her outfit was Gothic themed and fit with her element. She had the ears and tail of a black lion judging from her tail.

Astra had gold lion ears and tail and her wings were a tawny gold speckled with gray and white much like the North American Barn Owl while her outfit matched the star theme of her element with what appeared to be shooting stars making up the majority of it. Aly or rather Alyanne, had pale blue wings with white streak mixed in that looked like water droplets dripping down her wings. She had faint spots on her skin that matched the cheetah ears and tail she had. Her outfit was water themed consisting of blue fabric covered in water droplets.

Milady had a shorter tail then the others in a dusty reddish tan color with a bit of black on the end. Her ears stood tall and pointed with black tufts sticking out at the points. Her wings were shades of red, orange, green, blue, and yellow with bits of white mixed in. Her longest feathers where black a startlign contrast to the fire tones of the rest of her wings. Her outfit made her element make sense now. Her outfit was that of a phoenix the long flowing tail was the skirt and the wings the bodice while the neck and head formed the neckline.

What better to represent rebirth then a creature that could be reborn over and over again? Naru backed away from the doorway pulling the closest boy with him to keep them from attempting to go out and join the girls in their fight. Lin followed suit dragging the two remaining boys with him restraining them. They left the door open in case the girls needed to escape into the room.

Each girl blasted away at the attacking objects with their powers continuing on with this until all the smaller items were gone and all that was left were chairs which they quickly disposed of when they each summoned a weapon to their sides. Raven had two small sword like blades that she had called Night Blades, Astra had a Star Rapier, the sword from earlier.

Aly had a multitude of knives made of a shinning blue metal and Milady, Kel, had a long staff like weapon with a long curved blade on on end and a lead ball on the other a Phoenix Glaive she had called it. With their weapons they made short and quick work of the chairs slicing them into pieces until none were left. "Phew that wasn't so hard." Aly says somewhat cheerfully earning glares from her friends.

Before they could relax a loud thudding echoed from up and down the hall. "Ohh now what?!" Raven says exasperated. "Uh oh." Billy whispered shrinking back against Naru. Naru looked down at the boy wondering briefly what the kid meant but never got the chance to ask as all four girls dove into the base knocking him and Lin backwards as desks and other larger objects came crashing towards them only to get stopped short by what appeared to be a magical barrier of some sort in the doorway.

"Whelp we're trapped." One of the girls commented sitting up. "I'm not going out there." Astra stated firmly untangling her limbs from the pile and scooting away from the door. "Neither am I. I would rather go to war again then go out their objects tend to fly around less in war unless their arrows." Kel stated pulling her boy Tobe free. The boy promptly wrapped his arms around her and refused to let go.

Billy or BB as his Raven who was apparently his sister called him hide behind her peeking out to eye the doorway. Naru untangled himself from Lin and the remaining boy Moke getting up and slamming the door shut and locking it for good measure to act as some sort of defense in case the barrier that was holding everything back gave way.

Lin got to his feet as well peering through the outside windows of the classroom to see that a storm and blown in and it was raining hard outside with lightning breaking up the darkness of the sky. "I don't think it's very safe to try and go out through the windows at the moment. We will have to wait for either the rain to stop or the attack to cease." He stated with a frown.

A long eerie howl drifted down the hall followed shortly by others voices joining in until it sounded like a whole pack of wolves was howling. A few voices stood out as they weren't quite howling and had a higher pitch to them. The howls came from one end of the hall while from the other end came the loud distinct sound of roaring. Loud roaring that could only come from a big cat and a multitude of them too.

Some were more of yowl sounds then roars while others were a kind of chuffing noise but either way it suddenly sounded like a zoo out there. "What in the...?" Naru didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as all hell broke loose out there from the sound of things. "The cavalry has arrived!" All the girls chorus at once.


	17. Chapter 17: The Dream

Naru was exhausted by the time everything settled down enough for them to exit the base safetly without getting attacked by flying objects or by one of the wild animals outside which had nearly happened when one of the cats had nearly swiped at him with razor sharp claws until a small white fox blocked the blow growling at the cat over her mistake of nearly attacking an ally.

Once everyone had calmed down enough to not attack and the attack from the objects was over did everyone exit the room to survey the damage. Mai was standing beside him fussing over him which somewhat irritated him until he found out she was the small white fox who had blocked the blow from the cat. She still bore red welts on her shoulder from it.

He was quickly putting together a list of what kind of animal each one was as they shifted back. He was adding this information to his list for research purposes. Some of the girls who had been in the very middle of the attack were still rather frazzled by it all. Raven was calming herself down by holding a squirming BB still and grooming him.

Astra was clinging onto her older brother half hiding behind him. He was still growling himself seemingly pissed that his sister had nearly gotten hurt. The complex on that guy was through the roof when it came to his sister.

The twins were being hugged by their older siblings and refused to let go of them which neither older one seemed inclined to do. Naru couldn't help but yawn glancing at his watch to see it was nearly midnight. Once Mai had calmed down which took a while and a through exam of him to make sure he had not incurred any injury.

The alpha of the pack Jen swore she would explain matters to the headmaster and headmistress in the morning. The closed up the base for the night and all of them headed their separate ways minus Mai who tagged along with the S.P.R. gang making sure they all got back to their rooms safe and sound.

Naru paused at the door to the boy's dorms as Monk and the other males filed in to head to bed after an exhausting night having tracked down Naru and Lin upon finding out about the trouble they were in but it was too late by then Mai's friends had already arrived and taken care of what was left.

"Mai I have a question that I believe you can answer. The doorway to our base. Or rather the room we are using as a base. Why is it that that is the only room that had some sort of protection on it?" He asks her knowing in some way she would not only know the answer but was responsible for it. He was proven right when she spoke up nonchalantly.

"Oh I put protection wards up all around the base just encase so you would at least have a safe place to hide in case something happened. I've gotten good at drawing wards and put up some really complicated ones on the doorway and windows as well as the walls all around the room. The more complicated they are the stronger they are. Only certain people with knowledge of wards can undo them and its hard to undo it too."

The way she answered so calmly had him starring at her in disbelief. With that statement alone he was beginning to realize something rather frightening. Mai was stronger then he thought. Magic wise the power needed to not only put up one ward strong enough to keep the desks and other things that had been flying around out but multiple wards all over the place and keep him and the others from noticing it was insane.

Naru turned without saying goodnight to her and slipped into the dorms. While he was exhausted he couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. One thing he did rule out though was Mai's involvement in the strange happenings. She had been no where around when it happened in fact she was in her room doing some homework getting help from several others from her group of friends.

When he asked they had assured him she had been calm other then a bit aggravated at not understanding the problem which she settled by throwing her textbook at the wall and venting her frustration by freezing her glass of water as well as all the water in the pipes in the bathroom. Which promptly had to be thawed out or they would burst.

With her relatively calm other then the stress of regular school work and being no where near the base he ruled her out as being involved. He could also rule out any of the other females or the boys since as he reviewed the incident reports none of them had been near by during any of the previous incidents or if they were it was various members of the group not any one or two being there twice during the numerous incidents.

He was driving himself insane with trying to figure out how these things were happening. Neither Masako or Ayako had sensed anything during the attack. At least not any spirit but all of them had in fact sensed a great amount of power behind it.

He finally drifted off to sleep when he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer only to dream about holding a pale smooth skinned girl in his arms with brown hair dyed with bits of blue and white at the tips and a pair of stunning blue eyes.

She felt so good in his arms just holding her close like that. It felt so right like she belonged there. Her head was tilted back and her lips were parted in a slight 'o' that had him leaning down closer to her face. His lips had almost touched hers when his dream changed and he was confronted by a laughing male in a strange outfit who had a pair of pale blue bird wings on his back.

Naru wanted to punch the guy so badly despite not knowing who he was. The guy spoke not in Japanese nor in English but some other language that Naru couldn't quite grasp before vanishing and dropping Naru into the school or rather a dream version of it. Naru had no idea who that guy was but he already didn't like him.

As Naru turned to get a better grip on exactly where he was within the school he spotted Mai standing there a couple of books and a note book in her arms. She was wearing a little bit of makeup including lip gloss that drew ones attention to her lips reminding him of his dream earlier.

Giving a frustrated noise he marched over and tried to grab Mai and turn her around to face him not the tall lanky kid she was flirting with and that's what she was doing too flirting. Imagine his surprise and astonishment when his hand slide right through her like he was ghost like he didn't exist on that plane.

He was stunned reaching for her over and over again only to have his hands slide right through her unable to touch her. It frustrated him to no end and surprisingly hurt that he could not touch this girl nor did she seem to acknowledge his existence. "Ohh come on please? Just for a little while? Pretty please with sugar on top?" She pleads flashing him a puppy dog eye look pouting slightly.

The kid was practically putty in her hands but was still trying to put up a strong front for the sake of his image. "No. I can't. It simply wouldn't be right. I'm not allowed to let anyone enter at all no matter what the circumstances." He proclaims in wavering voice that had Mai giving him this seductive but knowing look. "What if I make it worth your while? Hmmm?" She all but purrs sliding up to him twining one arm around his neck. "A little hot and heavy make out session might change your mind don't you think?"

The kid's face went from pale to bright red in the matter of seconds. "Well... I guess it couldn't hurt for you to take a look around."He stutters opening the door for her to enter. She slide into the room grabbing the kid and dragging him in with her and closing the door with a giggle. Naru gritted his teeth hating what he knew he was about to see but at the same time knowing that he had to see it as this scene seemed to be important or he wouldn't be being shown it.

He walked through the door as if it was nothing and stood there growling as he watched Mai back the kid into a wall her arms around his neck her body pressed up against his until you couldn't tell other then by their clothes where hers began and his ended. She kissed him lightly at first but then deeper more hungrily and the kid's arms came around her pulling her up closer literally hiking her up his body supporting her under her rear so he could kiss her with out bending in two.

Naru had to stand there and watch in disgust as Mai happily made out with the kid. The kid's shaggy blue black hair kept falling in his face as he kissed the girl. His nearly black eyes closed in pleasure as the kissing got a bit sloppier when tongues became involved. He even manged to get a hand up under her shirt and grope her a bit before she smacked his hand away.

At that Naru tried punching the kid only for his fist to go right through him. He grew more and more frustrated watching the two go at it a bit longer with Mai leaving a hickey on the kids neck before they broke up with the promise to continue after Mai got what she wanted. The kid had to take a minute to orient himself before showing her around the room which looked much like any security room except their was magic pulsing in waves within the room itself.

He spent a few minutes explaining each individual section of equipment and what it did and how it worked as well as how it tied into the whole system. "This is the control panel where a teacher types in and enters their class and what spells will be used during it so the system understands and won't shut it down unless it gets out of control." Mai nodded and wrote down the details as he fed them to her pausing to ask some questions.

"Ohh I take it this deep thread of magic here is what works with this section of the system." Mai says reaching up with her free hand to drag her fingers through the thick wave of red hued magic. "Yes and no. That particular bit of magic splits in two once it is in the system half feeds this particular part of the system while the other half goes into the core itself and helps fuel the heart of it all." He explains pointing to the different parts and paths in which the magic took once within the technology.

All of a sudden Mai's own magic sparked around her finger tips a pale blue in color as they dragged through the red magical wave. Her magic sparked mixing with the magic of the system changing the color of the magic to purple briefly before settling in a magenta hue. Mai yanked her hand out of the magic quickly and the magenta faded away back to red with only the barest of hints of the color left.

"What was that?" She asks startled as she and the boy stared at the magic for a moment. "I have no idea but it seems to have settled back down now and returned to normal. Perhaps we should avoid touching anymore magic and get this over with quickly shall we?" He says rather shakily. The tour of the room continued and neither noticed how on occasion the wave of red magic would briefly pulse magenta before settling back down.

Nor did they notice that if Mai so much as brushed against another wave of magic her own magic would spark and change the color of the bit she touched. The form in which Naru was in allowed him to see small strands of magic flowing off Mai occasionally like it had been doing since he first caught sight of her. It was the color of her magic and coming from with in her so it had to be hers and it had to be leaking.

She would occasionally grab some of the strands and pull them back into her core but some escaped and were pulled into the larger waves of magic and into the system feeding it. The amount was so small that he doubted if Mai noticed it at all. Soon enough the tour ended and Mai was more then happy to agree with the boys suggestion that they continue where they had left off elsewhere.

Mai left the room with a giggle one arm linked through the boy's not realizing she had forgotten something. Mixed among her things that she had set down when she first started making out with the guy was a pouch that contained small silver snowflakes of various size and patterns. They had spilled out slightly when she had set down her books.

One more crudely done then the rest slide all the way out and when she grabbed her books it got flung in back of a computer monitor where it was lodged between the wall and the back of the computer where magic was fed into it and flowed out of it. Naru stood their staring watching as the magic flared again changing colors and the snowflake glowed white hot before everything settled back down.

He was woken up rather abruptly by the sound of thundering pounding on his door. "Naru!You have to get up!Their's been another incident!Someone was hurt this time!" The yelling coming from Len on the other side of the door had Naru jumping out of bed still wearing what he had on yesterday and throwing open the door. "Someone was hurt?" He asks dreading the feeling in his gut that told him who it was hoping praying he was wrong.

"The victim was in the very middle of it when it happened and although they weren't hurt physically they passed out and haven't woken up. They are in the infirmary now and have been since earlier this morning when it happened." Len explains as they race out of the dorms not bothering to get changed in to much of a rush. He didn't need to hear Len's words as they neared the infirmary to see not only the rest of S.P.R. standing outside it but all of Mai's friends. "Naru it's Mai."


End file.
